Deepening Roots
by EricaX
Summary: A series of events leads Bushroot to start doubting himself as a villain, wondering what he really wants. Meanwhile, why are all the plants in St. Canard starting to grow at enermous speeds? Is the Fearsome Five behind it, or someone else? R&R Please
1. Chapter 1

Title: Deepening Roots

Summary: A series of events leads Bushroot to start doubting himself as a villain, wondering if it is truly what he wants to be. Meanwhile, why is all the plant life in St. Canard starting to grow at enormous speed? Is the Fearsome Five behind it, or something else?

Author's Note: This is my first Darkwing Duck fic and therefore I wish to apologize in advance if any of these loveable character's seem...out of character...I would also like to thank LuckyDuck83, for her fics inspired me to write this, along with several other writers.

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, but Disney. Only the story and its plot line is mine.

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The streets of St. Canard seemed peaceful as the sun began to set on the mid-August day. A few rainshowers had made the streets damp with moisture and slick to the right person. The day had been filled with lots of bustling, everyone hoping to get thier tasks or the day complete.

Yet to the naked eye everything would appear fine, yet to those who know when somehing is afoot, would know that in infamous Fearsome Five were up to thier usual, nasty tricks.

On the northern side of St. Canard there is a large building which consisted of the many renound scientists who hope to invent an device that will help clear the atmospgere of polution. However, Negaduck had other plans for such a device.

On the very top of this building stood the Fearsome Five, waiting for their boss to instruct them on what to do.

Negaduck looked over at the door which lead to the staircases of the building. His yellow hat bearly allowed his eyes to be seen, covered by his black mask. He snickered.

"Alright boys" he began, turning around to see the other four behind him.

Quacker Jack giggled with glee as he brought out Mr. Banana Brain, mumbling about how fun this was going to be to his banana doll. The Liquidator stood beside him, awaiting orders. Megavolt and Bushroot stood several feet to the left of him, thier hands on thiers hips, their expressions slightly bored, waiting for what was next.

"It's like this boys, we get the machine by sneaking into this door, which leads through the stairway. Liquidator" he called. The ex-salesman looked up in earnest, his dog ears perked up. " As I told you back at the hideout, I want you to cover all the pipes, and be sure to watch out for Dipwing Dork. He's bound to--"

Negaduck was cut off by the sound and sight of blue smoke above the stair door.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night" said a voice. Negaduck rolled his eyes, gritting his teeth in anger. "I am the burnt toast you had this morning. I " The blue smoke vanished to reveal the purple caped hero. "am DARKWING DUCK!!"

"Wow, I'm impressed. You haven't tripped or fell flat on your face yet" snickered Negaduck.

"Ooohhh!! Mr. Banana Brain and I wager this is gonna be fun! That purple-caped party crasher is gonna be fun to crush!"

Megavolt smiled, rubbing his hands together. "Maybe he'd like to feel the power of electricity as it fries his brain."

"Not tonight boys!" cried Darkwing as he jumped down from his perch on the roof of the stairway. "Suck gas evil dooers!" he brought out his gas gun as he said these words.

Negaduck sighed, agitated. "Why don't you get it through you thick skull, Dipwing, we Five will always overpower you" With this, he gave Darkwing a great shove on his left ribcage, sending Darkwing to slip on the wet cement of the roof. His cape went over his hat and eyes. By the time he removed his cape from his line of sight, they had already managed to open up the door and where inside.

"Drat!" sneered Darkwing. He then glanced over to see that Quaker Jack and Bushroot where still there, as though they were gaurding the door. Their gazes were directly on him. Bushroot made the first move. "Maybe Darkwing would like to play a game, QuakerJack. How about if you show him a game he can play."

QuakerJack seemed thrilled at this notion. "Ooh! Yes!! That would be fun!!" He brought out from behind his back a teddy bear, or at least, what appeared to be a teddy bear. Experience with this villain allowed DW to know that his toys never meant good and always meant getting hurt in some way.

Just as QuakerJack was about to throw the teddy bear at him, the clown cried out in pain and shock as someone tugged hard on his jester hat, tugging hard at his head. "OWW! Hey! No fair! No fair!!"

Darkwing grinned to see his large sidekick, Launchpad, behind the two villains, taking the teddy bear and tossing it aside. "Thanks LP!"

Launchpad shrugged. "Just doing my job, DW"

A small red head appeared our from behind Bushroot, who at this point was trembling in fear, knowing the odds of them winning or getting away were slim. The green villain never seemed to have a backbone in these situations, is he ever had one at all.

"Yeah! You boys are aksing for trouble!" shouted Gosalyn. She walked out in front of Bushroot and towards Darkwing, standing in front of him and glaring.

QuakerJack then gave a snicker. He reached into his pocket and brought out a handful of little toy robots, which immediatly started chasing after Launchpad and then DW and Gosalyn. Launchpad let go of QuakerJack who took a break for the stairway to get to Negaduck and the others. Darkwing was in hot pursuit of the clown, knowing his daughter and sidekick could handle Bushroot.

Bushroot was about to follow when he heard a scream from Gosalyn. He looked over to see ten little robots following her. Launchpad was being attacked by fifteen. It seemed ironic, considering the robots were so small, but they had large sharp teeth, hoping to bite their victim.

Gosalyn tried stepping on them as they got closer and closer, driving her further and further towards the egde of the building. Then, as Gosalyn took another step back, she lost her balance, seeing that she was at the edge. Looking behind her, knowing she was going to fall, she screamed. "NOOO!" cried someone's voice.

It happened so fast that by the time Launchpad had stepped on the robots following him and turned to Gosalyn, he saw that Bushroot was at the edge of the building, a panting and shocked Gosalyn in his arms.

Bushroot turned around just in time for Launchpad to come up and grab her, holding her close. The tension that filled the air afterwards was thick enough for a knife to be cut through it. Bushroot awkwardly stood there, moving his gaze down to the cement.

Gosalyn was the first to speak. "Y-You...saved me..." Her voice was a coarse whisper.

Bushroot didn't reply at first, then shrugged. "I couldn't just let you fall..."

Gosalyn struggled out of Launchpad's hold, who set her down on the cement. "But, we're enemies."

"So? That doesn't mean I want to see you fall" He was answering in such a small voice, it was hard for them to hear what he was saying. But they heard him perfectly, as though we were shouting it. They stared at him, not beleiving their ears.

Could it be? Could Bushroot really be saying these words? Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy afterall. Megavolt or QuakerJack wouldn't have bothered.

Silence filled the air for a what seemed like ages, until a great amount of blue smoke started coming out of the stairway door and a vitcorious cry from Negaduck was heard. Launchpad went to see if DW needed some help. Gosayln followed, but not after another large stare at the villain known as Bushroot, who was standing there, staring into space.


	2. Chapter 2

Deepening Roots

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.

Darkwing had not been able to capture Negaduck or any other member of the Fearsome Five, however, he had been able to stop the five of them from taking off with the machine they had wanted and now the mahcine was being guarded extra so that it would not happen again.

Darkwing Duck was disapointed when he had been unsuccessful at getting Negaduck sent back in jail, but that did not dampen his ego in the slightest as they returned to St. Canard Tower for the night.

"Ha! Did you see those five run? They know by now not to mess with Darwking Duck!!" he was currently decaring as Launchpad put away the Ratcatcher for the night.

"Hey, sorry to burst your bubble there DW, but if it hadn't been for me, your head would have been plastered to the wall right now, courtesy of Negaduck." spoke Launchpad, his head and shoulders underneath the Ratcatcher as he tuned it up.

Darkwing made a face, a low grumble escaping his beak. "Yeah, well, that's what you think. I had Negaduck right where I wanted him."

Gosalyn walked up to him, having been staring down over the city ever since they got back. "Yeah, and while that was happening, Bushroot saved my life..."

Darkwing looked at her as though she had six arms instead of two. "What!?"

Launchpad pulled himself out from underneath the Ratcatcher, knowing Darkwing would want his input on the subject as well as his daughter's.

Gosalyn sighed, then in the most honest and sincerest voice she could manage, to prove she wasn't lying, she began telling the story of her and Bushroot and what had taken place on top of that roof while her father was inside getting the other four villains. At the end of the story, DW was pacing, his hand rubbing his chin in deep thought.

Gosalyn and Launchpad waited for DW to voice his opinion over the occurence. When he did speak, they suddenly wished he wouldn't be so arrogant, just this one time.

"No. It's not true. I mean-- It is true, but he didn't mean to. I'm sure of it. He's a villain Gos. I'm sure he did it for some other reason. He didn't do it just because 'he didn't want to'" DW argued. This made Gosalyn upset.

"Why won't you believe what I'm telling you!?" she demanded to know, her high voice higher than usual. Darkwing regarded her carefully before answering.

"Gosalyn, why does it even matter? He's a villain. Yeah, sure, he saved you're life. Fine. I'll admit that, but it means nothing" he defended his case. Launchpad shook his head.

"I don't think that's true, DW. You didn't see the look on his face. And come to think of it, Bushroot never really does anything, he just stands there. And when the action gets too close, then he'll use his plant powers. He really doesn't do much to hurt any of us. And tonight, he saved Gosalyn." explained Launchpad, showing a lot more intellegence than normal.

Darkwing looking between them, realizing that no matter what he said, the two of them would devise a decent retaliation. "Fine. Have it your way. Believe what you want. But I'm sticking to my opinion. Bushroot is an evil villain and that is that!"

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"You _**KNOBS**_!!!" Negaduck was screaming at the top of his lungs. The Fearsome Five had huddled themselves back to their current hideout, which was a old abandoned newspaper factory on the outskirts of western St. Canard.

After being cowed by Darkwing Duck at the science labrotory, the five of them had no choice but to make their way back to their hideout to plot a new plan of action.

Now the four villains knew they would get an earful and perhaps even worse from their hot-tempered boss. It was bad enough that they had been caught, but they weren't even able to get away with the goods. They never minded if Darkwing showed up, it was when he foiled their plans and got in the way that they cared.

Megavolt sniffed, his attitude showing that of ignorance and displeasure. "Personally I don't care if we didn't get it" he crossed his arms. "That thing used _**way **_too much electricity and power for my taste anyhow."

Negaduck glared at the rat. He got up into the other's face, glaring down the light bulb loving villain. "I don't care about what _**you**_ think!" he seethed. "Despite what you believe, with that machine we would have been able to use it for our own plans involving St. Canard and thousands of other cities to be under _**our**_ power and control!"

QuakerJack sniffed, looking as though he was about to start sobbing. "Yeah...Dork Wip Duck ruined our fun..." His buckteeth stuck out greatly in front of his deep pout.

"As they say: Have a hero around makes the Fearsome Five turn around!" proclaimed Liquidator.

Negaduck crossed his arms, staring down his fellow villains. He listened to them as they complained about their failure. He glanced over at Bushroot, who hadn't spoken a word since they returned. "What say you, Bushy? You're the only one who hasn't complimented. Do you have any alternative plan is that bushy head of yours?"

Bushroot looked up, startled, at the mention of his name. He looked at Negaduck with wide eyes. "Um...I'm just glad no plants got the brunt of any of this."

QuakerJack made a disgusted sound. "You and your plants are no fun!" He brought out Mr. Babana Brain and began talking to him.

Bushroot sighed, looking back down towards the floor. "Boss, if you wouldn't mind...I would just like to go home. I'll be back by tommorrow night, I swear." He spoke up after several moments.

Negaduck snarled. "Fine! Do what you want! I don't care! Just be back here by dusk tommorrow! We have more work to do then!"

The other four members of the group watched as Bushroot left, Negaduck in particular. Once the mutant duck was gone he raised his head, thinking deeply as he watched the door Burshoot just went through.

"Is it just me boys, or is Bushroot going soft?" deduced the yellow hatted villain. He received an a groupful of nods.

"He rarely does anything. Just stands there and watches. He always looks as though he's about to hit the bucket or burst into tears. Hmm...So long as he doesn't make me short circuit, I don't care" Megavolt gave his opinion.

"He annoys me" commented Liquidator, not using his salesman voice fo once. "He's too weak and frail. Not to mention a coward."

"Yes...He has no backbone, that's for certain" reprieved Negaduck. "But why waste the time over a tree-wanna-be? We have plotting to do!" Negaduck's attention turned to the many charts of their highsts and robberys.

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An eerie wind whipped its way around the city on the darkened night as the stars illuminated their light, shining down upon the earth. The wind whipped around, howling at the moonlit sky, stirring up the trees and their branches full of changing leaves.

On the outskirts of the city lay a greenhouse, where Reggie Bushroot had just arrived at, physically and mentally drained. His foilage drooped and his thin body begged for rest. He did't understand at all as to why he was so exhausted. Was it simply the weather? Did he not water himself enough today? Or was it because he saved that little girl?

Yes. That appeared to be it. His mind raced every time he thought of it. Why? Why was it that big of a deal to him? Why did he care? So many similar questions troubled his mind as he walked into his greenhouse, Spike yipping like a dog at his heels, happy that his master has returned home.

Blankly looking around at his greenhouse, Bushroot couldn't help but smile. He loved his plants dearly. He didn't know what he would do if it was not for his plants.

He could hear them. Indisticnt whispers. They were all talking amongst themselves; the plants. They were overjoyed to see him bakc home. Many, mainly the larger trees, always had been concerned for their 'master's' welfare.

Walking deeper and deeper into the greenhouse, he soon came upon his bed, which consisted of a overly large plant pot with a large amount of potting soil inside of it. This was his favorite place to sleep.

"Oi...I really must stop all this crime...It really gets to me..." he started talking to himself. He placed a leafy hand on his forehead. "Order after order from Negaduck, being told to do this and this..." He did not notice the bushes and trees surrounding him begin to shiver. It looked as though it was just the wind, but to someone who loved plants, it may look as though the plants were trembling in anger. "Being chased by weedkiller and weed shredders..." The shivering of the plants increased, yet their master continued walking to his bed, deep in his own thoughts. "And then tonight. I go and save that little girl...And I don't even know why..."

He collapsed on the soil of his bed, placing his head down on a small shrub that welcomed him with open branches. Moaning as he found a compfortable spot Bushroot groaned, "It's never bothered me before. Why does it beother me now?"

His question went unanswered.

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Review. Otherwise, no update. Savvy?


	3. Chapter 3

Deepening Roots : Chapter 3

Disclaimer: None of these charcters, save for Dandren, being to me.

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Whispers.

_Did you hear?_

_Did you hear?_

_Did you hear?_

_The Master is upset._

_Doesn't surprise me. I knew it would happen._

_But why now? He's been so happy._

_Don't know, but we must fix his anguish._

_Yes, we cannot allow him to suffer._

_ You're right. But what can we do?_

_Simple. We rebel._

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For the next several days, the city of St. Canard was quite and peaceful. Crime never slept, but the Five and F.O.W.L. were not the cause of any of these crimes. No. Just you're simple punk kids and gangsters.

Nothing too serious, considering what the masked crimefighter has dealt with in the past.

But either way, Darkwing Duck was prepared for anything, even on a quiet night as this. It was often times night like these when things took place. Tonight was no other night.

He was cruising along on the rode, Launchpad on the seat beside him when they both heard it. A scream.

This caught DW by susrprise, causing him to slam on the brakes with wide eyes. Launchpad grabbed tightly to the rail in front of him. "Whoa, DW! You're gonna have to work on your stops!"

Darkwing ignored his friend's comment and looked up at the building in front of them. It was an old apartment building. A woman had screamed from someone inside the building. Sensing trouble, Darkwing immediatly wanted to go and check things out. He then turned to Launchpad.

"Did you not hear that, Launchpad?" he asked dubiously. "Someone screamed."

"Yeah, I heard it DW, but that stop of yours...whew-" Launchpad went on, shaking his head.

"Forget the screeching halt I made!" Darkwing snapped, angrily closing his eyes and looking to the ground. "That's not important! Someone up there needs our help!"

Launchpad finally looked up at the building, realizing the importance of the issue. "Gee, DW. How are we supposed to know which apartment it came from. There must be over a hundred apartments in that building!"

Darkwing didn't reply at first. He was too busy staring intently at the windows of the building. There. He saw it.

"Launchpad!" he exclaimed, grabbing his sidekick by the sleeve. He pointed at one of the windows on the third floor. "Do you see that!?"

"See what?" asked his friend, squinting.

"That root on the side of the building! It looks to be coming out from that window! That must be where the scream came from!"

Launchpad stopped looking at the building to look at Darkwing, his eyebrows furrowed. "A root from a plant hanging outside the window is the reason someone screamed?"

Darkwing sighed at his friend's slowness. "Who do we know can control plants and allow them to do every whim and desire he wishes?"

Launchpad appeared to be thinking hard on that question and after several moments, he still hadn't replied. This caused Darkwing to snap once more. "_**Bushroot!"**_

Lauchpad's eyes went wide. "Oh! Of course! Bushroot!"

Darkwing shook his head, looking back down to eye level and headed toward the building to get inside.

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Getting into the apartment room where the root was coming fromwas very easy for the terror of the night. He knocked on the door of the apartment, remebering his manners despite being a crimefighter. There was no responce at first, then the sound of someone unlocking the door reached their ears.

The door slowly opened to reveal a thin red headed duck who looked as though she hadn't been able to sleep for days. Her long red hair was unkept; bags under her eyes. She took once glance at Darkwing and closed her eyes, sighing. It was as though she was expecting a monster to be waiting on the other side instead.

"Hello ma'am" greeted Darkwing, already halfway inside. He didn't wait to be asked in. He wanted to find some answers. "I'm so sorry to intrude but several moments ago we heard the sound of someone screaming." He turned to face the woman still at the door. She was looking at Launchpad with wide eyes as he stepped in. Darkwing could tell she was slightly intimidated by LP's height and build. "Was it you who screamed?"

The woman got out of her daze and turned her head towards Darkwing, shutting the door. "Y-Yes, that was me." She paused a moment before speaking again. "You...Are Darkwing Duck...correct?"

Darkwing seemed flattered that she knew who he was. He gave her a smug look. "Yes, that is me. Relax, I am here to help you. I would like to know what caused you to scream, my dear." He was already searching the apartment with magnifying glass as he spoke these words.

The woman placed a hand over her chest, giving a quick squeak. "Yes" she began feebly. "It was from inside my bedroom it happened." She walked over from the door and showed him her bedroom. Darkwing quickly walked inside cautiously, his eyes scanning everything.

The woman side stepped him as he searched for clues and walked over to the window. There, sitting on the window sill sat a over-sized pot of roses. The plant itself was enormous, looking to be three times the normal size for a rose plant.

Darkwing inspected it, taking the large pot into his hands and analyzing it.

It was Lauchpad who asked the question. "So, um, this plant was what made you, um...scream?"

Darkwing looked up at her when he heard this question, wanting to know the same thing.

"Well-" she trembled. "It's not the plant the bothered me. It's what the plant _**did**_ that scares me." Darkwing cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? What did this plant do?"

"It grew twice it's size within seconds. I watched it happen. I was so startled, I screamed." explained the woman, fiddling with her hair.

"I can see why you screamed. That would be a startling sight" Darkwing reassured her. He placed the pot back down. "Well, ma'am, as sad as I am to say this, there really is nothing I can do about this. However, I do suggest that you rid yourself of this plant in case anything else is to happen."

The red head nodded eagerly. Darkwing signaled for Launchpad to leave. As they headed out the door he swirled around to hand her a card. "If you have any other problems, please contact me as soon as possible and I will help you in any small way possible."

The woman seemed greatly relieved to hear these words as she shut the door on them.

Not until the two were outside the apartment building once more did Launchpad finally speak up. "That's it? That's all you're going to do?"

Darkwing looked up at LP. "That's all I can do Launchpad. At least until something more takes place to find more clues..."

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For the next several days, Darkwing had been swarmed with cases similar to the one he took care of in the woman's apartment.

More and more citizens of the city complained about their houseplants and the grass in their ywards growing at an alarming rate, sometimes getting to the point where they reach the ceiling and cause a whole. The most shocking and serious part of this, is that on occassion, the plants will thrash about, as though attacking their owners.

The trees were the largest problems. Saplings grew at enermous speed and those large old trees wacked their branches about, making anyone unable to walk near them.

Darkwing was of course furious. He depserately wanted to know what was going on. Yet the problem that made him most outraged was that beisdes the problem involving plants, he had no evidence what-so-ever that this was Bushroot's doing.

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The sun crept through the windows of the large greenshouse as the sun rose for the day. The flowers, trees, shrubs, and blades of grass enjoyed the feeling of warmth, yet the joy they felt was lost when they saw that Bushroot was still sleeping in his flower pot, in a deep slumber.

For the last three days that was what he's been doing. It seemed to him that no matter how much sleep he got, he still woke up exhausted. Negaduck had told him to meet him the next day after the robbery of the science building, and yes, he had shown up. But it all appeared to be a blur to him.

He rolled over in his spot and mumbled something about giant potatoes and drifted back to sleep. Spike, his over-protective, dog-like, Venus Fly Trap yipped at him, wanting attention. He wanted to go outside, but he was only allowed to do so when his master was with him. Getting anxious and impatient, Spike took his large snout-like mouth, took a bite of Bushroot's purple foilage and started tugging.

After the fifth quick pull Bushroot began to moan. "Hmmp...Stop it..." he began to whimper. He hand reached up and grabbed the section that was being pulled. "Stop...That hurts!" He was still half asleep but the tugging was getting worse. Forcing his aching body to move, he sat up, releasing his foilage from Spike's mouth. He rubbed the sore spot as he yawned.

"Golly, Spike. Why'd you have to go and do that!?" he grumbled. He opened his eyes to a bright greenhouse. "Wow...Nice day..."

Spike yipped at his feet. Stretching, Bushroot finally stood and stepped down and out of his pot of soil, giving the shrub he has used for a pillow a quick smile of thanks.

He started heading for the door of the greenshouse, staring sleepingly at the ground as Spike ran around him happily. As he was rubbing his eyes, he stopped and froze. He listened.

_You're awake, master! _

_You woke up! We've been worried!_

_Dandren will be so thrilled! _

Similar greetings and praises were heard. He slowly looked up at the living things he called his children and received a shock.

Everything in the entire greenhouse was twice its original size. Each and every plant had grown enormously and without the aide of their master's abilities. Shocked, Bushroot began rushing over to several of his children, wanting answers.

"W-What is this!? What's happening!?" he asked a peach tree, grabbing it around its trunk and giving it a hug. He looked up at the tree's branches and continued asking. "I don't understand! How could this be?"

_We have decided to take things into our own hands_ replied a voice in Bushroot's mind.

_Yes, our own hands_

_You were so unhappy the other night_

_You still are. We only wish to make you feel better...Master_

Bushroot's eyes widened. "Master?"

_You mean you don't know?_

_Ever since the day you became one of us, we have considered you our master _

_Our savior for happiness_

Each plant seemed to be putting their own input. But he heard these main voices more clearly. He realised they were all trees who were talking to him. Bushroot stepped back from the peach tree and looked around him, suddenly feeling trapped. He didn't understand why. They were his children. He loved his children. So, why did he suddenly feel trapped?

"I suppose I knew that...I just never gave it much thought..." he stuttered.

He wrapped his arms around himself, listening to what his children had to say.

Then, a single voice was heard. It was a deep voice. One that Bushroot recognized immediatly. It was a large oak tree which stood in the far reaches of the greenhouse. Bushroot had asked the oak for help and opinions time and time again.

It was the oak tree he had named Dandren.

_The world has been extra cruel to you lately. We of the plant world cannot simply sit by and allow you to suffer such anguish_ said Dandren. Bushroot turned around and looked at the tree, its large thick branches looking old and wise to the mutant duck.

"What are you saying?" asked Bushroot.

_I am saying...We are rebeling. Fighting back against the world and teaching those terrible humans a lesson_

Bushroot frowned, not caring for the sound of this plan. "No...NO...Please don't! You'll all get hurt! And it will be_**my**_fault! No. You don't have to do this! I'm fine, really. I've lived my whole life being treated badly, I'm used to it! I don't need them, I have all of you!" Bushroot toried convincing his children. Dandren's voice came back to him.

_You continue to tell yourself that, but look at yourself. You have been asleep for three days and the time you were awake you in a daze of depression. We love you dearly and refuse to let this continue_

Bushroot began to panic. He twirled around in his spot, looking from tree to tree; flower to flower. "B-But you won't solve anything! Afterwards--After you've 'rebeled' everyone will still blame and hate me!"

_Why do you not like this plan, master?_

_We only wish to help you_

_We'll make them all pay_

_Yes, please, we want to help you. No matter what you say_

Feeling defeated, Bushroot sighed, slouching. "I just don't want any of you getting hurt because of me..."

Dandren's voice came into his mind once more, this time, it held more defience and determination.

_No matter what you say master, we will rebel and make those humans pay. Everyone will regret the day they shunned and treated Reginald Bushroot terribly._

Bushroot then heard a cry of enthused voices and looked around to see all the plants giving a gentle shiver, proving their excitement.

It seemed that even a mutant plant with the ability to control plants could stop this world of angry plants.

Dandren then uprooted his roots, startling Bushroot. He stared at the tree with wide eyes. He had never seen a tree move without his help. Dandren thumped his way over to Bushroot and placed it on its many branches, keeping him safe.

_Come, master. We have much work to do._

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AN: Now there's a twist. I'm really having fun with this fic. I'll try to update as soon as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

AN: None of these character's belong to me save for Dandren. Also, I'm very sorry for any errors; both gramatical and story errors.

Stress was never a feeling Reggie Bushroot was good at handling. As he sat on the swaying branches of the old oak tree known as Dandren, he clutched his head in turmoil.

He didn't understand. His beloved plants had never disobeyed him before. Why were they suddenly going against his wishes now, of all times?

Dandren, who was currently thromping his large tree trunk around the yard surrounding the greenhouse, had told him that they would wait for the best moment to begin their pounding fight against St. Canard and its citizens. The main reason was simple. He first wanted his master to be happy to the idea. He did not understand why their little sapling master was not thrilled at their idea.

Still clutching his head, Bushroot was tittering and mumbling. Dandren tried to understand what he was saying through their telepathy, but his master's mind was too mixed in turmoil to understand any of it.

"I don't want to do this. I can see why you would want to,but --It's not right-Please, no---We can't just--" his soft moans filled the absence of his speach as he breathed. "I don't- You'll all get--" Bushroot was like this for several more minutes before he finally stopped.

His head dropped as he lowered his hands, the tittering and mumbling absent. Danren stopped walking, wanting to know his master's decision.

"I can't do this" he sighed. "I saved her...I saved that little red head and I now know why. I'm not an evil person. I can't be...Can I? I mean, had it been Megavolt on that roof, or Quakerjack, they would have just let her fall, I'm sure of it. But it was me and I was unable to. Does that mean I'm not an evil person?"

Dandren had listened to his quick speech carefully. The wind in the air was chilly in the August evening. Bushroot's question hung in the air for several moment's until his plant companion finally repsonded.

_Does it matter? Those humans had tormented you. They made you what you are today. Are you not angry with them for what they have done to you? Done to us? The plant world is dying. You know that as well as any other plant. Don't you want the same revenge as the rest of us?_

Bushroot didn't reply. He sighed once more and leaned back against Dandren's thick, strong trunk, dangling his one root-like foot over the branch he sat on. Bushroot shook his head.

"Will it do any good? Humans will still do this to us. We can go to war but it won't help any in the least" he began. "I...I just don't want to see any of you hurt. Plants have been there for me ever since I can remember and I...I just don't want to do it...I don't want to be evil anymore..."

Dandren took one of his branches and gently rubbed Bushroot on the shoulder. Bushroot closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of being compforted.

_I understand. You are going through a difficult time. Yes. Perhaps that is all you need. Time. We will postpone the war for now, but whenever the right time comes, we __**will**__ go to war, master._

Bushroot looked up at Dandren, not liking the sound of that very much, but didn't argue nonetheless. Despite his inner demons and trying to sort out what he wanted, Bushroot felt at ease as he sat with Dandren. Being with his 'children' always made him peaceful and loved.

But his happy moment ended quickly when the thousands of tiny voices in his mind began to sound panicked and started giving little shrieks of shock. He then heard the loud banging of somone banging on his greenhouse door.

Getting up and moving around Dandren's trunk to get a good look, he could see that it was Megavolt.

"Megs..?" he mumbled to himself, using his comrade's nickname. "I wonder what he's doing here."

Dandren made a movement as though he was about to head over but Bushroot stopped him. "_**No!**_" he hissed hoarsly. "You stay here. It's only Megavolt. I can handle him, we're team members..."

_Not friends? _asked Dandren sneakily, already knowing the answer.

Bushroot didn't answer, instead he silently jumped down to the ground and started making his way over to the greenhouse.

By the time he made it there Megavolt was already starting to lose his patience. He was mumbling to himself. Something about this being a waste of time and energy. In his hand, Bushroot could see him holding a lightbulb. Oh, so he wasn't talking to himself...

Bushroot cleared his throat, making the rat stop pounding on the door and look behind him. Surprised, Megavolt looked at him with wide eyes. After a moment, he turned around to face the mutant duck.

"Oh, there you are. Larry and I were starting to think that maybe you weren't here" began the rat, placing his free hand on his hip. It didn't take Bushroot long to figure out who Larry was. It was plain as day to see it was the lightbulb in his gloved hand who was blessed with the name Larry.

"Sorry, I needed some fresh air" Bushroot brushed it off.

"Yeah, considering its so hard to find" sneered Megavolt. He cleared his throat, taking Larry and holding him close to his chest, handling him with gentle care. "The Boss wants to see you." This made Bushroot gulp in fear. He hated talking to Negaduck one on one. "Relax. He wants to see all of us, not just you."

Megavolt could tell the other duck was just as nervous as he was when it came to their Boss. "He said something about a new plan. He didn't go too far into detail. He would have come himself, but when he came to get me, he claimed that he felt 'too attached to us knobs' and sent me instead. You're the last one. QJ and Liqui are already on their way."

Bushroot nodded. He glanced back behind him to see Dandren standing there, looking exactly as a tree should to anyone else. Gulping agiain, he turned back to see an impatient Megavolt. "So? Are you coming or not?" He started fiddling with Larry with his hands, the battery on his back giving short little zaps every now and then. "You know how Negs gets when we're late."

Bushroot nodded, a deep frown planted on his face. "Yeah..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The evening night was quiet and the wind was soft and cool. The quarter moon shown brightly down on the city of St. Canard as the stars twinkled all around it.

But nothing mattered to the two ducks who were currently enjoying each other's company out on the terrace of the Macawber Mansion, which Morgana worked hard to fix and clean up for their date.

Drake Mallard sat across from her at the small black metal table; God-only-knew-what on his plate. He tore his eyes off the glowing angel known as Morgana for a moment to remind himself bitterly that he would have to eat that disgusting looking substance on his plate in order to make his angel happy. His stomach screamed against the very thought of it.

He always tried his best to keep Morgana happy, for when she was happy, he was happy. Her little spider, Archie, was currently dozing beisde the red candle that say in the middle of their small table.

"Oh, Drake darling...Isn't this wonderful. Look at that moon" his angel was saying. He glanced up at the moon, smiling.

"Yeah, it really is lovely isn't it. But it is nothing compared to you" Drake said softly, his eyes back on Morgana as he smiled at her. Morgana blushed.

"You're just saying that!" blushed Morgana, turning away as she giggled with glee.

Drake shook his head "I am not!" He was grinning like a fool at her radiance.

After several moments of silence, Morgana looked back up at him, a curious look in her eyes. "So, how has everything been? Any nasty crime?"

Drake was taken off gaurd. It was odd for her to ask anything Darkwing-ish on their dates. He answered her nontheless, always ready to boast and shine up his ego.

"Well, the city has been quite crimeless the last few nights. Of course, there have been those reports of the overgrowing plants, but they stopped growing and I haven't been hearing anything more. Maybe it was just the weather..."

Morgana nodded, but then a thought struck her. "You don't think it had anything to do with Bushroot, do you?"

Drake shook his head. "I tried as hard as I could to get some evidence to prove it was him, but I couldn't find a trace of him!"

Morgana nodded, a wave of pity falling over her as she watched her Drake. She always felt bad when she knew Drake was having a tough time with a case. She was then surprised when Drake started nervously scratching the back of his neck, as though he wanted to say something but couldn't find the correct words.

"Yes?" she prompted him kindly.

"Well, you see---um...The other night, before all this plant business started, there was an incident involving Bushroot. When I was stopping the Fearsome Five from robbing another labratory, something happened while I was gone. See, LP and Gosalyn stayed behind to take care of QuakerJack and Bushroot. Well, QuakerJack apparently used some of his toys to try and make Gosalyn fall off the roof" There was a gasp from Morgana. He continued.

"Well, just as she was going to fall, Bushroot apparently used his vine arms to catch her and basically saved her..."

Morgana leaned back in her chair after a bit, a small smile playing on her bill. "Well, now. It sounds as though the good doctor wishes to reform..."

Drake frowned. He had been hoping that Morgana, the girl of his dreams, would take his side in this matter. And of course, his beak began talking before his brain could register anything.

"He is not, I tell you! That's exactly what Gosalyn and LP said! It's just not possible for a villain like him to-" He stopped talking, seeing the nasty glare and dark aura around his date.

"Drake Mallard, what are you trying to say here! Are you saying that villains are incapable of feeling badly for thier actions and wanting to change thier ways! Is that _**not **_what I did myself!? Or do you still believe that I am a villain at heart?"

Drake cowered back in his chair at the sight of her fury, already regretting his words. He figured he might as well start begging for fogiveness. "Please Morg, honey! That's not what I meant and you know it! You know I know you're no longer a villain! You're good now, I see that! Now please...Calm down..." His voice held pure honestly and sincerity.

Morgana did calm down, her deep frown vanishing slightly. "Then tell me" she said more calmly. "Why is it so hard for you to see that maybe Bushroot wishes to do what I did...for you" That last bit was slightly seductive, making Drake blush.

"I-I don't know" he fumbled at her grace. "I guess I'm just hypnitized by your bueaty..."

Morgana knew he was simply trying to get back on her good side, but she couldn't help but blush and bashfully look away at his words.

"Now" Drake said, taking his hand and reaching over the table to grab hers. "How about if I take your opinion and work with it." She smiled. "I will try to realize that Bushroot is going to reform and try talking ot him about it, if that's possible."

Morgana smiled and got up from her seat, going over to Drake and grabbing him under the arms. Sititng down in his seat, she placed him gently on her lap. The height difference between them had always made Drake slightly uncompfortable and he knew Morgana felt it too, but in times like this, he really didn't care.

In times like this, he couldn't care about anything but his lovely Morgana.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The meeting that the Fearsome Five were having was taking place at thier normal meeting place, which was an old abandoned factory on the outskirts of town. As usual, the leader of the Five was in a nasty mood, which meant for the other four to avoid talking at all costs and look enthused and nod at the aproppriate time.

Negaduck was about ready to bring out his chainsaw when QuakerJack interupted him in the middle of his speech. Apparently their Boos believed that they needed reminded as to who was in charge around here and that they should stop slacking off in thier work.

Negaduck glared at the clown, who gulped. "Sorry, boss..." he said, sounding like a kid who just broke a vase. "Its just that, we were wondering exactly what we were going to be doing tonight..." He made a motion to his three companions behind him, who all were conveniently looking away.

Negaduck glared at those he called his 'lackies'. Sneering and tapping the edge of his red hat, he began. "I see how you boys are. You're antsy, ready for some action...That's fine with me..."Megavolt and Bushroot exhchanged looks, all four of them wondering why he was wasn't screaming at QJ for interupting him. Their boss continued speaking after a moment. "However, we are going back to that labratory and are going to try and steal that machine once more."

"We've tried robbing it before?" asked Megavolt. Everyone rolled their eyes as QJ whispered into his ear, informing the rat, who had a terrible memory, of the other night.

Groans were heard. "But the security of the place was tripled since the last time we tried to rob it" QuakerJack pointed out.

"Yes! And triple security is a lot more efficient than regular security!" said the Liquidator.

Bushroot sighed. "How exactly are we going to get past them all..." His mind went back to what Dandren had been saying. He had mentioned how the humans treat him badly, wanting only his abilities. Well, maybe he didn't say those exact words, but sadly, Bushroot knew it was true. If it wasn't for his telepathy with the plants, he would still be the nobody he was before.

Negaduck regarded their questions with little interest. After they were done speaking he cleared his throat to regain their attention.

"Bait..."

The hideout went silent. The Liquidator seemed interested in the idea. QuakerJack bounced with gleee at the thought while Megavolt snickered. Bushroot went pale.

"B-Bait? But--How will that help? And who...or what will be the bait?" asked a nervous Bushroot. He felt the air in his lungs tighten, fearful of what the answer was.

"Darkwing Duck is the only reason we didn't get that machine the other night boys. But this time, we will be prepared. Have any of you noticed that a little red-headed girl is constantly following Dork Wing like a little lost kitten?"

Bushroot tried to control himself and regain his breathing. Just as he feared. The worst part was, he knew he wouldn;t be able to go through with this plan. He'd bail. And bailing was not an option when it came to being in Negaduck's ranks. There was no such thing as a quiter as far as Negaduck was concerned.

Megavolt shook his head at his boss' question, no memory of the girl in his head. Liquidator and QuakerJack answered with a nod and Bushroot could feel himself numbly nod himself.

Negaduck seemed pleased with their responces. "Good, well, that girl must mean something to that twerp. So, when they get here..." His eyes scanned the four of them and Bushroot knew immediatly that Negaduck was about to choose the girl's kidnapper. He clamped his eyes shut, praying as hard as he could that he would not be picked. "...Bushroot, you will grab her and take her..."

"To my greenhouse" Bushroot finished sadly. Negaduck looked at him, then snickered.

"Yeah, that'll work" he grinned. "Torture her a little if you must..."

Bushroot shivered at the thought. The rest of the night was filled with Negaduck's detailed plans of how the night would continue. But Bushroot didn't pay any more attention. Why bother? He wasn't going to be with them at that point? He was going to be back at his lab, 'torturing' a little girl, as Negaduck put it.

He honestly didn't know how he got himself into these terrible situations. It didn't help that Dandren's words kept sticking at the back of his mind, tormenting him. Once the meeting was over, it was time for him to start dreading the next night to come.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Walking into his greenhouse, Burshoot felt like falling asleep in his favorite flower pot and never waking back up. His mind was filled with what was to come the next night. Negaduck had kept them all there for quite some time before they were able to go back home, so it was late.

Wrapping his arms around himself, he walked right past Dandren, who was now back inside the greenhouse. As he passed the large tree, he could here Dandren ask him what was wrong.

_What is wrong master? Please, I demand to know_

Bushroot didn't reply. He didn't reply to any of his children. He didn't want to. Because he knew he couldn't ignore the truth any longer. They were all right about what they had said about the others and how he is treated. Negaduck was very aware of how sensitive he was, yet he still had the innititive to give him the role of kidnapper. It was like casting a rat to be the rat killer in a play.

Shivering, Bushroot sat down on the edge of the walkway of the greenhouse, placed his elbows on his knees and sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Thunder rolled through the sky as the wind whirled through the city; no sign of relention showing. Rain poured heavily on the roads, drenching everything is sight.

However, on a night like this, crime did not end. There was still plans to be made and filled out. This included the large plan that Negaduck had planned for the ozone-cleanser machine to be stolen.

Several rooftops away from the science building stood Negaduck himself, Megvolt, (who held an umbrella over his head so he didn't short out), QuakerJack, the Liquidator, and Bushroot.

Megavolt grumbled as they waited for midnight to come. Negaduck claimed that he had done some research and that at midnight, the guards took a half hour break down in the cafeteria.

Knowing that this was the perfect time to attack, Negaduck had planned to get over there in time. Of course, he also knew that Darkwing Duck prowled the night and hoped that if they were several buildings away, it would lead him off track enough for them to get inside once they got to the other rooftop.

Bushroot was taking deep breaths, reminding himself that no matter what, he couldn't bail out. Negaduck would surely kill him if he even _**thought**_about it.

The rain started to fall even harder as the shadowy figure started to appear several roofs away. Negaduck cackled with glee as he saw that it was Darwking Duck.

"Alright boys!" he cried. "You know what to do."

QuackerJack, Megavolt, Liquidator, and Negaduck started making their way towards the sceince building rooftop by going over to a rope they had already prepared that was hooked onto the science building.

Bushroot gulped frantically. He knew his place. Bushroot was to hide, making sure he was not seen. Darkwing was already making his way towards the roof he was currently on. It was Burshroot's job to grab the little girl who he knew was trailing behind him.

In fact, if Burshoot squinted his eyes thorugh the poruing rain, he was able to make out a smaller figure running behind Darkwing's flailing cape. The large duck, who's name escaped him, was no where in sight for once.

Bushroot slowly moved back to the corner of the rooftop and crouched, hoping his dark skin would help conceal him from Darkwing's eyes.

With a thud, Darkwing landed on the roof by using his hookshot. Gosalyn landed a moment later after, her usual feiry temper turned up on high.

""I don't see them, dad! I think they moved on to the next roof" whispered Gosayln loudly.

Bushroot's eyes widened. 'Dad!?' He felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him as he sat there, crouched.

Darkwing seemed angry at something as Bushroot tried to calm himself. He forced himself to pay attention. "Gosalyn!" he hissed. "How many time must a tell you!? When you're with me on patrol, you _**cannot**_ call me dad!"

"I'm sorry!" she moaned. "It's habit!"

Darkwing mumbled something else, but it was too soft for Bushroot to pick up on it. He didn't care much anyways. He was still in shock. It now made so much sense. He now understood why that little girl was always tagging along with Darkwing. Not because she was the biggest fan of his fanclub, but because Darkwing was her father!

Darkwing Duck was now on the other side of the roof, getting ready to use his hookshot once more. "Alright, Gos. Be careful. Just like the last time. After I'm on the roof-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know" she interupted. Darkwing gave a stern look but said nothing more before hooking the shot onto the roof and gliding down.

Bushroot knew he had to act now. He watched as Gosalyn grabbed onto the rope and prepared herself for the jump to the smaller building.

Forcing himself up, Burshoot lunged forward and ran across the rooftop, grabbing her by the waist before she could leave. With a yelp of surprise, Gosalyn's foot hit the hookshot rope, which clambered down and fell, ruining any chance for her to catch up with her dad.

Bushroot managed to move out of the way before they fell over the side of the roof, which made them land on the roofto with a thud.

Gosalyn shook her head and looked around her. She tried getting up only to see that she couldn't, for something soft, but heavy was keeping her from moving. She glanced up and saw a groaning Bushroot sit up.

"You!" she cried out accusingly.

Bushroot blinked several times, then looked up. The fall had made him slightly unfocused. After Gosalyn cried out; however, he was back on track.

Acting quickly, and with speed too fast for Gosalyn to dodge, he managed to get behind her and cover her mouth with his leaf-like hand, pulling her up on her feet. Gosalyn fought back, trying to kick him and biting his hand.

"Hey, hey, now! Watch it!" he shot back at her.

Gosalyn managed to free her mouth from his hand's grip, wishing he wasn't holding her by the arm so hard so she could get free. "You're one to talk! Now let me go you, freak!"

Bushroot felt as though he'd been hit in the gut. 'Freak' she had said.

He'd been called that so many times in his life, but for some reason, this time, it hurt more than it normally would. Bushroot struggled with himself not to break down now. He would have to wait until after he took her to his greenhouse. He'd tie her up and _**then **_he could do angst in a corner.

With a wave of his hand, a small vine began to grow below their feet. It grew to the height of their heards and then bloomed a giant purple and yellow flower. "Thank you, Cornelia" muttered Bushroot.

He gently plucked the flower and squeezed it gently in Gosalyn's face, which was contorted with anger as she struggled to get away. The flower released a small bit of yellow pollen, but even the small amount had a large effect on the girl. Gosalyn's eyes quickly began to droop and she was soon asleep in Bushroot's arms. But not before she muttered, "You won't get away with...this..."

Bushroot sighed as the vine the flower came from left, crawling back from the rooftop he summoned it from. Looking up into the pouring rain sky, he sighed, knowing the hardest part was yet to come.

-------------------

Dragging Gosalyn back to his greenhouse was not as hard as he belived it would be. He managed to get there in no time and it soon stopped raining. He opened the door to his greenhouse, Gosalyn still in his arms.

To say his telepathy was not currently bothering him would have to have been a grave understatement. Grudgingly, Bushroot walked in, ignoring as much as he culd of what his 'children' has to say about his most recent crime.

He took Gosalyn to the center of his greenhouse, grabbed a chair and tied her securly to it. After doing so, he took a moment to look at her. She was still alsleep; her head drooped down.

He then turned and headed back to the back of his greenhouse. There, stood Dandren. The large tree took one glimpse at what was going through his master's head and knew immediatly he had to act.

_'Master?' _

"Leave me alone..." was the soft reply Dandren recived. Bushroot looked up at the large tree and glared at him. "I really don't want to talk about this right now."

_'The longer you wait to face the truth the harder it is going to be on you' _

Bushroot frowned. He looked up at Dandren, who was swaying his branches back and forth. "Listen!" his usual meek voice was replaced with one of anger and slight authority. "This isn't about what _**they **_have done to me! This is about what I have done!" He motioned over to the blacked out Gosalyn in the chair. "What I _**just **_did! So stop reminding me of what they have done to me! I know what they've done!"

His voice made Gosalyn shift in her spot on the chair, making the plant duck cringe in fright. He wasn't ready for her to be awake yet. "Shh..." he mumbled her way. "Go back to sleep just a _**bit **_longer..." he practically begged. He then let out a deep sigh.

He pratically jumped out of his skin when he heard the threatening voice of Gosalyn several minutes later.

"Let me go, Bushroot or you'll regret it! Darkwing Duck should be here any minute!" he snarled at him. Blinking, Bushroot took in the sight of the angry red head. How could such a young girl hold such anger at anyone?

He narrowed his eyes, overcoming her sudden awakeness. "I wouldn't be so sure, Negaduck and the boys are making him work hard tonight over at the science labrotory." he informed her. Gosalyn seemed taken aback a fratcion of a second before continuing to glare at her capturer.

"Well, what do you want with me?" she demanded.

Bushroot didn't answer her question, which infuriated her. He instead turned to one of his large trees and examined its bark.

After several long minutes of watching Bushroot tend to his trees and whisper to them, her anger slowly evaporated. Curiousity soon replaced it.

"Why did you save me the other night?" she asked evenly.

Bushroot tensed and she saw it. His back was turned to her as she asked the question, making her unable to read his face, but judging by his silence, she could tell he didn't know how to answer.

Bushroot stopped playing with the flower he had been examining and stared at his hands, searching for an answer. "Well..." he said, his voice on the verge of breaking. "Because...I knew it wasn't right...I just couldn't stand to see you fall..."

This took Gosalyn by surprise. She had not been expecting such a thoughtful, deep responce. It made her look at Bushroot more carefully. As she and Launchpad had guessed: maybe he wasn't such a terrible person as he seemed. Maybe he was just...misunderstood.

Bushroot meanwhile was still turned away from her, staring at the plants before him.

After a pause that seemed to stretch on forever, Gosalyn finally spoke, "You were told to kidnap me. You didn't do it at your own choice. Negaduck forced you to." It wasn't a question.

"Just following orders..." Bushroot finally ordered. He finally turned to face her after he respomded, and looked her in the face. Gosalyn didn't know what to say. She wanted to be angry at him, like she normally would be if she were kidnapped, but for some reason, she couldn't make herself be angry at him.

She finally looked around, wanting to do something other than stare at him and he gladly looked away as well. He didn't like having visitors in his greenhouse. If they weren't one of his plants, they didn't belong. He supposed though that he could make this one exception.

Technically he wasn't even doing his job right. He was supposed to be 'torturing' her, as Negaduck had put it. The very thought made him want to gag.

"Did you grow all these plants?" came the shock-sounding voice of Gosalyn. Bushroot looked over at to see that she was smiling widely, looking up and all around her.

Gosalyn had never seen so many different types of plants before. This was far from the first time she has ever been in Bushroot's greenhouse, but this was the first time she stopped to notice all the plants that was inside of it.

Bushroot shuffled his feet as he felt that warmth of a blush coming onto his cheeks. "Well, yes. Its what I do with my spare time. Which..." he gulped a bit. "I have a lot of..."

Gosalyn nodded, still looking around. She then saw Dandren, who had been obediently acting like a tree and not moving. Her wides widened a bit more. "You couldn't have grown _**that **_tree! Why, its got to be _**so **_old! Or..." she looked back at a nervous Bushroot. "Did you use your...abilities...on this one..."

Bushroot knew he was just imagining it, but he could almost sense a bit of resentment in that statement, as though having and using his powers with the plants was what made him so evil.

"You're a smart girl" he stated. He looked at her through the corner of his eyes, having turned back to his plants. "But you are right. I did make it grow faster."

Gosalyn struggled a bit at her bonds and grunted when she realized she wouldn't be able to get out of them. "You know,being bound to this chair is _**really **_uncompfortable."

Bushroot sighed, plucking some weeds from beside a tree. "I'm sorry about that. But you have to stay like that until I'm given further orders..."

"And when might _**that**_ be!?" the little girl in the purple jersey demanded to know. Bushroot shook his head, his purple foilage bobbing back and forth.

"I don't know..." he sighed.

Gosalyn seemed angry at his responce. "Some villain you are!"

Bushroot's breathing hitched at the word 'villain'. "A poor excuse for a villain...Is that what you're saying?" His voice was tight and soft.

Gosalyn blinked, not understand what the mutant was trying to get at. "What do you---"

But Gosalyn was unable to finish her sentence, for there was a sudden flash that filled the sky outside the greenhouse and a loud bang of thunder behing it that made the glass of the greenhouse shake. Both ducks looked up at the ceiling, startled. Moments later the pitter pattering sounds of rain could be heard hitting the glass.

"It started raining again..." whispered Bushroot.

"It had stopped?" asked Gosalyn. She knew it had been raining before Bushroot kidnapped her.

"Yes." was the short reply.

"You're a very gloomy, depressing person, you know that?" she blurted out without thinking. This made Bushroot look at her with wide eyes. He knew this already, but hearing someone else say it made his skin crawl for some reason. She didn't stop there. "Is this all you do? Stand around here with your plants?"

"W-what's wrong with that?" he asked hotly.

Gosalyn shrugged the best way she could in her bonds. "I don't know. Then again, I suppose you have no choice."

"You're right! I don't have a choice" Bushroot was suddenly speaking quick and aggressively. "Because look, Reggie is a veggie! Let's not go around him!"

Memories of the day he first became a mutant made him shudder violently. His fellow colleages had burned him emotionally when those words left their beaks. It didn't help that it had been in front of Rhoda Dendren.

Anger boiled in his veins as he spit out, "He's a _**freak**_!"

Gosalyn was taken aback by Bushroot's sudden anger. She had never seen him so angry before. Not even when Darkwing Duck chopped his 'dog' Spike with a chainsaw.

Gosalyn thought a moment. "I've never thought of you as a freak. I mean, yeah, I've called you one, but I don't think you are one."

Bushroot's anger vanished and was replaced once more by shock. Bushroot didn't have time to react, for it was at that moment that Dandren, the large tree that he was, began to shake his branches about, which made Gosalyn flinch in surprise and shock.

Bushroot looked over to his friend as well and his eyes widened. "What are you doing!?" he shouted demandingly. Gosalyn turned back to Bushroot long enough to give him a confused look before looking back to Dandren, who was now uprooting his roots and heading over their way.

Bushroot repeated his question, his voice now higher and urgent. "What are you doing!?"

Through his telepathy, Dandren wasn't saying anything to him, which Burshoot didn't like in the least.

"Answer me!" screamed Bushroot angrily. His hands were in fists and he was shaking his arms up in down in his anger.

"Is the tree talking to you!?" asked Gosalyn numbly.

This only made Bushroot more angry. "_**No**_! But he _**should**_ be!!" He cried once more, "Answer me!!"

Dandren was still tromping his way towards them, oblivious to his master's fury. He came up to the chair Gosalyn was sitting in and stopped, making the red head tense. She didn'tlike the fact that a giant tree was behind her. It didn't help that the tree was disobeying Bushroot, which, before now, she didn't think was possible.

Bushroot ran up next to Dandren's trunk and unconciously started pounding on his trunk. "I said stop it, Dandren!" his voice had calmed down a bit, but the anger was still evident.

Dandren stopped moving for a brief moment before taking one of his large branches and lowering it to Bushroot's and Gosalyn's level, the branch seperating them.

_'I'm sorry, master. But this is for the best.'_

Without warning, he took his branch and swung it hard in Bushroot's direction, making the plant duck get womped by the branch and thrown several yards away.

Crying out as he was hit, Bushroot went flying, not stopping until he crashed into his loyal dog Spike. He groaned, clutching his head as Spike licked at his arms, trying to compfort his master.

He looked up in time to see Dandren take another one of his branches, this time a smaller one, and loosen Gosalyn's bonds enough so that with another branch, he was able to grab her off of the chair.

In the meantime, Gosalyn did all that she could to get away. "You stay away from me you overgrown weed!" she threatened weakly. Her voice was trapped inside her throat as Dandren grabbed her with one of his branches. He held her up in the air for several brief moments, as though he were regarding her carefully.

Again, without warning, he took his branch that she was currently craddled in and swung it hard, making Gosalyn go flying. Yet she went much farther than Bushroot had and crashed right into the window of the greenhouse, going through it and landing unconcious in the pouring rain outside.

Bushroot had watched on in utter disbelief. It took him a few moments to get his barings and forve his body to react. When he did, he gently pushed Spike aside and stood up, running back over to Dandren.

"Why did you do that!?" he wanted to know. He rushed back over to Dandren's trunk, nearly crashing into it since he was disoriented and dizzy in his steps. "What is wrong with you!?" it was hard for him to talk since he was panting so much.

_'I've had enough, master...'_

Bushroot stopped panting, his wide eyes filled with confusion. "What?"

_'I wasn't about to sit back and allow that girl to brainwash you.'_

"Brainwash me!? She wasn't brainwashing me!!" he retaliated.

_'Yes she was. She was trying to make you think that she thought you weren't a freak. She was manipulating you.'_

"How do you know she wasn't telling the truth!?" fought back Bushroot. There was a sudden uproar in the plants, and Bushroot was amazed at how angry they all sounded, how passionate they were as they agreed with Dandren; believing she was faking.

Dandren swooped down one of his branches and grabbed Bushroot by his waist, this time with so much gentleness, Bushroot find it amazing that this was the same try that had hit him minutes ago. Dandren placed Bushroot up on his many thick branches.

_'Your kind, soft heart makes you vulnerable to this cruel, hateful world. You must realize, master, that no matter how much you want it, you will never belong to the human world ever again. You are one of us and we desperately wish for your compliment to be with us.'_

Bushroot closed his eyes, dizzy spells from when Dandren hit him, taking fall force on him. "That might be true, but you didn't have to throw her through my window. I now have to fix that window..." It was a terrible comeback, but Bushroot didn't care at the moment. He was suddenly tired. He had a hunch Dandren was doing that to him on purpose.

"I have to check to see if she is alright" he said suddenly, attempting to get up form his spot. Dandren didn't allow it. He took one of his branches and kept him from moving. Bushroot's eyes widened. Anger then settled in. "You call me master, but you don't treat me as your master" he accused bitterly.

_'It is for your own good. Forget about her. You must go to war with us. Please master. We beg of you. We will get your revenge for you and ourselves.'_

Bushroot couldn't stand it anymore. "Again with this war!" he moaned. "I don't _**want**_ to go to war! What part of this don't you understand?!" He tried fighting agianst Dandren's branch by pushing on it with his feeble arms but with no such luck.

_'Then you will sit and watch as we go to war.'_

Dandren's voice sounding so determined and self confident. Bushroot's eyes widened in shock. "No, please no" he begged. Dandren ignored him. Bushroot's head was sudden filled with the cheering of all the plants in his greehouse.

_'To war!' _they cried.

_'We will make you proud, master!'_ others cried.

It was at this moment that Bushroot finally understood it all. As he watched his plants move about and uproot themselves, taking their own steps without his permission, he realized one insignificant thing: He no longer could control his raging 'children'. He stopped trying to order them about with his telepathy. To quiet them down. He know knew it was pointless. They wouldn't listen.

As the uproaring got louder in his head as each plant uprooted itself, growing larger and larger; preparing for war, he sat there on Dandren's large branch, no longer needing to be held down by Dandren's other branch. He could do nothing but stare offinto space as he discovered the turth.

That was when the sickening feeling of absolute aloneness clenched his heart and he realized he was utterly alone.


	6. Chapter 6

--

Deepening Roots

Chapter 6

Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update. I guess I just lost interest in it for a bit. But don't worry, I'm back in the game now. I'll try to get as much of this finished as I can.

Btw, I am sorry if this chapter bounces around a lot. But I guess its the only way for me to get the story moving again. So, please, bear with me here. Thanks to all of you.

Please review.

Darkwing Duck grunted in annoyment as he watched as the four villains got away. They had not managed to get the lab eqiupment like they had hoped, but they had gotten away, and that fact made him angry with himself.

As he stood out in the hallway just outside the room containing the equipment, he angrily noted that Gosayln was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he hadn't heard from her since they had been up on the roof.

That was when it finally dawned on him. He uncrossed his arms as the thought made its way through his mind. Where was Gosalyn? Had something happened to her? Had he been so wound up in trying to catch Negaduck and his goons that he didn't even stop to think about what may have happened to his daughter!? A shiver then ran down the duck's spine as he realized something else. Bushroot had not been there with the other four.

Now completely angry with himself, he stomped his way over to the window and brought out his hookshot, where he climbed out of the window, shot it at the next building's roof, and starting to climb up. _'Honestly, how could I have been sostupid!? I must be losing my touch'_ he asked himself bitterly.

It was time that he went to go and find Gosayln, and he had a hunch on where she was.

Green and brown blurs passed by the Bushroot's glazed over eyes as he sat motionlessly on one of Dandren's large branches. His plant army, or --Dandren's plant army-- where making their way closer and closer to the city of St. Canard. The large trees that were about the size of Dandren womped their way through the grassy hills that surrounded his greenhouse.

In his arms, lay an unconscious Gosalyn.

_Dandren started walking, sensing that his master was no longer going to resist them and summoned all of his fellow plants to start heading their way towards St. Canard. _

_Bushroot, who was rooted to his spot on the branch, his eyes seeing nothing as he stared off into space, blinked and glanced over at his greenhouse as it went by his line of sight. He then turned his head towards the ground and there, laying in a heap in the mud and rain sat Gosalyn, her face facing the ground. _

_Bushroot immediatly reacted. He forced his dead weight limbs to move and pushed away Dandren's other branches with strength he never knew he possessed. All he knew was that he had to get Gosalyn, his nemisis' daughter, out of the rain and see if she was alright. _

'Master, what are you doing!?'

_Bushroot didn't bother answering. If Dandren wouldn't speak to him when he spoke, why should he? He stabled himself enough to jump down, landing with a thud and falling to his knees._

'Master! Come back!"

_Bushroot panted for breath for a moment until he gathered his senses. He then looked up and saw Gosalyn. He pushed his way through the other plants, nearly stepping on a tiny army of dandilions and finally managed to get to Gosalyn. _

_He wasn't a medical doctor, but he knew enough to check if she was breathing, which she was to his relief, and to check her pulse and make sure her body wasn't overreacting to the crash through the glass. Minor cuts and bruises were the only thing Bushroot could see on her. He picked her up, nearly falling from the slippery grass, which Bushroot guessed was trying to stop him. _

_He eventually made his way back to Dandren, who grudgingly picked him back up. _

'I thought you had abandoned us, Master.'

_"No..." whispered Bushroot. "I couldn't even if I wanted to..."_

Looking down at her now, Bushroot could see that she was no where near waking up. She appeared to have a nasty bump on her forehead. It was all for the better, for he knew she would only cause problems as she tried to get away. Closing his eyes, Bushroot tried to forget where he was and that none of this was happening.

It was heavily pouring as four dark figures ran through the alleyways. A cat in a trash can hissed as they went by, dodging a blow from the figure wearing yellow.

Megavolt was angrily mumbling about short-circuiting as he pulled the battery on his back to his chest so he could examine it; also blocking it from hitting more rain. "Stupid water..." he hissed.

"Is the weather getting you down, don't fear, it won't rain forever" spoke Liquidator in a unusually quiet voice.

"Mr. Banana Brain is getting all wet!!" lamented QuakerJack.

"You KNOBS!!" screamed Negaduck suddenly from behind, making the other three villains jump. "Would you JUST SHUT UP!! If you would stop your whining for more than a few minutes, I MIGHT be able to concentrate!"

They had stopped walking, still in the alleyway, all watching Negaduck in surprise and fear. "Don't forget the other part of tonight's plan. If Bushy did as he was told, he should be at his greenhouse torturin' that little punk of a kid who's always hangin' around with Dorkwing."

"I can't imagine Reggie torturing _anything_, let along a little girl" scoffed Megavolt, as he placed his battery back in place and crossed his arms.

QuackerJack nodded. "Yeah, he's no fun."

Negaduck sneered. "I gave him that job for a reason. I wanted to see what he would do. I've been getting the impression that Bush Brain has been getting soft on us. I wondered how he would react to such a job." He started walking again, pushing past his fellow villains. The others followed in hot pursuit.

"Ah, plants starting to wither? Try some handy torturing demands to bring it back to health" announced Liquidator. Negaduck rolled his eyes, yet nodded.

"Yeah...That's the general idea..." he hissed.

Every single plant around the greenhouse, minus the grass, was now slowly making their way towards the city of St. Canard. Dandren thromped his heavy roots to the ground with each step he took, getting closer and closer to his goal to make his master happy.

A nearby peach tree kicked over a bench near the park, shivering its leaves with excitement over the damage it caused to the bench. Flowers three times their normal size were bending the lamp posts, making them come shattering down. The lights in the lamps sputtered a few sparks before dying out.

Everything seemed to be going Dandren's way. He could hear from his telepathy that the indoor house plants were doing as ordered; starting to grow and cause havoc within the homes of their prey. Soon all of St. Canard would pay for treating the plant world so harshly. It was time Mother Nature fought about against the arrogant lives of the people.

It wasn't until a small voice spoke to Dandren, did he stop feeling so confident. The little voice that had always meant so much to him when he heard it. The voice of his master.

Bushroot, still in his dazed stupor as he continued to cradle Gosalyn, once again tried to protest once more. "Please Dandren...I beg of you...Stop this madness..."

Dandren hated hearing his master's voice so troubled, filled with desperate emotion. For years, he's listened to Bushroot's secrets, concerns, and more importantly, his heart.

Shortly prior to his mutation, Bushroot had bought Dandren at a local floral shop. He found that the little tree was in need of a nice home. Instead of picking out the usual flower pot that he would, Bushroot thought it would be nice to find a small tree to keep inside for a while, until it was large enough to be moved outside.

It was then that Dandren started listening to Bushroot's concerns and heartaches. Long before he been dubbed the name Dandren, the large tree felt a connection between himself and Bushrooot --Reggie. At the time, he was refferred to more as Reggie, than Bushroot.

Reggie had never been one to have friends; being so different. So he had had the habit of talking to himself, which allowed Dandren to listen. Just after the mutation, Reggie had moved his home to the greenhouse and started living there permanantly. With the help of his master's abilities, Dandren grew quickly to the size he was now, and with the aid of their telepathy, Dandren made sure that he was there for his master at all times.

After the mutation and realizing his telepathy with plants, Bushroot started to talk back to Dandren and the two became close friends.

Now, however, just when Dandren believed he was doing his master a great deed, his master was begging him to stop.

'_I don't understand you anymore, master. You have changed. There was a time when you would have loved the idea of terrorizing the city and getting back at all who tormented you.'_

Bushroot frowned deeply at his words, soaked to his core thanks to the pouring rain. Reagarding Gosalyn in his arms, he tried not to lose grip of her as he retailiated back. "I haven't changed! I just don't want anyone of you to get hurt! You plants are all I have now and I don't want to lose any of you!"

'_I still say you once would have loved this' _spat Dandren.

It was then that they heard it. The manical voice that gave Bushroot shivers whenever he heard it off guard. "BUSHROOT!"

Leaning over and looking around, Bushroot spotted the familiar form of Negaduck, standing several yards away from where Dandren was thromping his way through.

"What the hell are you doing!?" demanded Negaduck, having to scream over the loudness of the plants and rain. "You were SUPPOSED to be torturing that girl! Not taking your plants for a walk!!"

Bushroot could now see Megavolt, QuakcerJack, and Liquidator not too far behind Negaduck. Stuttering for words, Bushroot tried to figure out what to say.

"I--I ...This isn't MY doing! My plants won't listen to me!!" cried back Bushroot.

Negaduck gave a look of confusion for a split second before it turned back into sheer anger. "Well isn't that a shame! Stop them anyhow!!"

The rain started to lessen as Dandren stopped walking, much to Bushroot's surprise. The other plants as well stopped, getting sneers and glares from the four other members of the Fearsome Five.

Taking his chance, Bushroot jumped down from Dandren's branch and made his way quickly through the mass of plants and over to Negaduck, who was waiting impatiently. Bushroot held out Gosalyn to him. "See? I still have the girl. Don't worry. I just got distracted by my plants, is all. You see--they want to--"

SLAP!!

Bushroot crashed to the ground, Gosalyn's still form crashing on top of him. A red-hot pain formed over his left cheek as he reached up to touch it, his eyes wide with shock.

"I don't give a damn about your plants!!" seethed Negaduck slowly, glaring mercilessly down at Bushroot. "I gave you an order and you failed to fullfil it. Which to me, it seems, is how it always is with you. I've had enough of you and your plants, Bushy. You make me sick! You make me want to throw up, then eat my sick, JUST so that I have something to throw up again!"

Bushroot shivered on the ground, waiting for Negaduck's anger to break. Waiting for the moment when his boss would tire of screaming at him and move on to his next victim. But it didn't seem to be the case this time. Tonight, he was Negaduck's one and only victim.

"I'll take the girl, you pathetic weed!" sneered Negaduck, leaning down to pick up Gosalyn. As he did this, a puff of purple smoke began to rise from the ground several feet away from them.

They looked towards the smoke, knowing what was to happen next.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night." came Darkwing's voice. His cape could now be seen through the smoke. "I am the faulty fire alarm that wakes you up at night. I...am Darkwing Duck!!"

Negaduck, who had forgotten about picking up Gosalyn during Darkwing's appearance, gritted his teeth as he straightened up. "Well, if it isn't Dorkwing Dip. Is there something amiss Dorkwing? Something missing from your usual, life-saving antics?"

Darkwing didn't bother talking, his gas gun was already out and ready by the time Negaduck started talking. "I'm not in the mood for your games tonight Negs, just give me Gosalyn."

"Oh, you mean the girl?" teased Negaduck. "This one?" He picked up Gosalyn by her foot, who was slowly started to wake up.

As she opened her eyes, upside down, she began to mumble, "What happened...?"  
Bushroot was still on the ground, still stung by the slap of Negaduck's hand. He glanced at the other three, who were huddled together, snickering as they waited to see Darkwing squrim.

"Put her down Negaduck" spat Darkwing. "I'm warning you!"

Negaduck gave a shrewd laugh. "Warning me! Don't make me laugh, Darky! Why, I could have you--" Negaduck stopped speaking as Dandren started to move once more, only this time one of his large branches came down, plucked Gosalyn out of his hand, and gently threw her over towards Darkwing.

Turning an evil glare at Bushroot, he demanded, "What the hell is your problem!? Who's side are you on!?"

Bushroot just laid there, not looking at Negaduck. "I tried to tell you...I can't control my plants anymore. I didn't do anything!"

Megavolt spoke up at this. "You can't control your plants no more, Bushy?"

Negaduck stomped his feet in anger. "How is this possible!? You MUST be lying!" Negaduck never got a reply, for Darkwing took this moment to use his gas gun on them. Coughing and sputtering, the three other villains were suddenly bound together as a rope wrapped aorund them. Negaduck too was tied with a rope.

Darkwing triumphantly looked down at the scowling Negaduck sitting on the ground, loving the addition he added to his gas gun. Ropes. Genius. "I don't know what is going on, but it looks like your time is up, Negs."

Negaduck snickered. "You may think that Darky, but you're wrong." He managed to grab a small little ball, almost like a marble. He dropped it and with another loud cloud of smoke, Darkwing opened his eyes to see that the Fearsome Four were gone. Coughing to clear his lungs of the gas, Darkwing looked over to see Launchpad holding a shivering Gosalyn, who looked ready to pass out again.

On the other side of him, he saw Bushroot still lying on the ground, facing the other direction. Darkwing took a step forward and heard the mutant say, "Just leave me alone, Darkwing. I didn't mean to do it. Just leave me alone..." There was no emotion in his voice.

"From what I saw, you did nothing" stated Darkwing. He glanced back at Launchpad and Gosalyn. "Which I hear, is what you normally do at the crime scene. Nothing."

Bushroot didn't reply. It had stopped raining at this point, and the sun was trying hard to peek out. "However, I want to know what has been going on with all these crazy plants of yours. What are your motives here Bushy? Trying to tear the city apart?"

Bushroot didn't reply at first and just when Darkwing was going to speak again, he said, "I'm not planning on doing that...Dandren is..."

"And who, pray tell, is Dandren?" demanded Darkwing as he placed his hands on his hips. He was started to get annoyed.

_'The one who is currently making my life my own personal hell' _is what Bushroot wanted to say, but instead raised his arm up and pointed to Dandren with his leaf-hand.

Darkwing took a step back, surprised at the answer. The enormous tree, Darkwing hated to admit, was quite intimidating due to its size.

"This tree is planning al this? Not you? Don't make me laugh Bushy, everyone knows you and you alone can control these plants" scoffed Darkwing.

"Uh...DW, Gos is starting to come aorund..." piped up a nervous-sounding Launchpad. Darkwing looked back to see his large friend looking down at his daughterin his arms, his face filled with concern.

Darkwing walked back to check on her, feeling her forehead and pulse as Launchpad lowered her a bit for his reach.

"Just leave me alone, alright? You have Gosalyn back, now leave me alone" sighed Bushroot as he tried standing on his feet. Darkwing didn't reply at first, just looked over at Bushroot, who was now standing and staring off.

"Look, Bushroot, I don't know what you're trying to pull, but I know you are--" but Darkwing never finished his sentence.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" screamed Bushroot as he clucthed his head tightly in pain, squirming around on his feet. "What are you doing!?" demanded Bushroot, wondering if his head was going to explode. The stinging. The sharp, almost electrifying stinging he was feeling in his mind was horrible.

Darking and Launchpad stood there, confused beyond recognition. They were stunned into silence, knowing that their enemy's question hadn't been directed at them.

_'I'm sorry, Master. But maybe this will clear your senses. I didn't want to have to force you master, but it now seems that I have no choice.'_

The stinging subsided and Bushroot feel to his knees, still clutching his head as he felt the pain go away. Panting, Bushroot tried to collect himself and finally managed to sit up. Panting he said, "See? I told you. My plants,...my...children,...they don't...listen to me anymore."

"This...isn't a trick...is it?" Darkwing gently asked, hating to admit he had been wrong. It had to have been true. Why would the plants hurt Bushroot? Didn't he control them?

"He's telling the truth, dad" whispered Gosalyn from Launchpad's arms. Darkwing's full attention was now on her. "The same thing happened to me. That large tree hit Bushroot then hit me. Threw me through a window. There's something wrong. And it's not Bushroot's doing..." Her explaination came out slowly, since she was so out of it and tired. Sighing, Darkwing nodded.

He turned back to Bushroot in time to see dandren pick him up roughly by the waist. Just as Darkwing was about to try and use his hook-shot to get Bushroot, Dandren took his roots and turned aorund, making the others tremble with the ground at every step.

Not knowing what else to do, Darkwing gave up. He turned back to his friends. "I don't know what to do. But for now, let's get you home, little missy" he said, taking Gosalyn into his own arms. Gosalyn only nodded, not having the strength to argue.

The sun was pouring down on the gorund, soaking up the moisture that had recently been spilt. The plant army had stopped. The plants did not return to the greenhouse, however; they did not continue thier plan. They were all waiting.

_Did you hear? _

_Did you hear what happened?_

_Master is not himself. _

_Not himself. _

_Something is wrong. _

_Yes, wrong. _

The voices were back in his head again. Well, they never had left, he supposed. He had just stopped listening to them for a while. What was the point of trying to listen to the raving anitcs of the plants going off to war? A war which he wished wouldn't happen.

Sitting on the same branch as always on Dandren, Bushroot couldn't keep quite anymore.

"So, its gotten to the point where you are toturing me ot get me to agree with you..."

_'I did not wish to. But your lack of interest forced me to.'_

"_Forced_ you too!? I didn't _force_ you to do anything! If you treated me like the master you claim I am, we wouldn't be in this mess!" cried Bushroot, his voice unusually high.

_'I am only doing what it in your best interest. I am only trying to save you from the evils of the world.' _

"_Saving _me!? HOW!? By--by hurting me!? That _hurt_ you know!"

_'I am sorry.'_

Unepectantly, Bushroot burst into tears. His shoulders shook with sobs as he curled up into a ball. "It's no use. I'm a nobody. I never have belonged anywhere. I thought for a time I belonged with my plants, seeing as I was one of you, but now I see I'm no better off now then I was before the mutation." There was long pause. "Go ahead."

_'What?'_

"Go ahead. Have your war. I don't care anymore. Go on. It won't matter what happens" he sniffed, rubbing his eyes. It was useless for him to do so, for more tears kept coming. He turned over on his side, and rested his head against Dandren's trunk. "I'm tired...Just...go ahead."

_'I am thrilled to see you have agreed. I had just hoped you weren't so exhausted in your agreement. We had hoped you would more enthusied once your agreed.'_

Bushroot sighed, closing his eyes. "I don't care anymore. Destory everything. I don't care. Just leave me alone..." After another moment, he was asleep.

_'Alright, master. We shall continue with our war. I just hope you realize how proud we are of you for finally agreeing with us.'_

Author's Note: Again, I will try hard to get the next chapter up and going. To let you all know, it has already been started. (Chapter 7). I know this is once agian, a nasty cliffhanger, but I need something to keep you interested! Do not worry, I will get it up as soon as I can. Thank you all. Please review. It inspires me.


	7. Chapter 7

Deepening Roots

Chapter 7

Author's Note: As promised, here is a brand new chapter only a day after I posted the last one. Whoo hoo! Actually, stupid me accidently forgot to save the begginning of this chapter, which I had written just after chapter 6. (It was orignally meant to be in 6, but I wanted a cliffhanger hehehe). I apologize if there are any typos or other such mistakes. I'm working fast to get this updated, meaning I don't look as carefully when I read back over it. Enjoy! Thanks to all of my faithful readers!

The eerie sound of a low rumble shook the through the streets of St. Canard as thick vines twisted and turned their way along the streets, curving and slinking up the buildings, making cars come to adbrupt stops, toppling over cars, crushing anything in their paths.

Trees thromped their own way through the city, doing pretty much the same thing. Crashing into benches, slamming their branches into store windows. Breaking loose the fire hydrants. Flowers three times their size wrapped themselves aorund innocent victims. Those who were unable to get out of their cars in time, were the helpless victims, getting crushed by the roots. Men and woman alike fled for thier lives, not knowing what else to do as they came back home from a long day at work.

A peach tree was playing baseball with a fellow Douglass Fir Tree, taking its peaches and throwing them, allowing the Douglass Fir to hit it into the windows of apartment buildings and stores windows alike.

In one of the many dark alleys in the city, four sets of eyes watched warily as the plants took over. They made sure not to seen themselves, already having to leave three of their 'hiding' places so far due to the rampaging plants.

One of the pair of eyes was currently glaring out at the wretched sights before them.

"This is ridiculous" hissed Negaduck, his red fedora hat hiding his face as he sneered, looking out of the alley way. "Of all the ways this city is to go down, I never would have thought Bushy and his nasty little plants would have done it."

"It certainly caught most of society off guard" commented Liquiator.

"I don't care about any of that, all I know is that he's hogging Playtime!" whined QuckerJack.

"I wonder what got into him?" pondered Megavolt.

Negaduck shook his head, his back turned to them. "I dunno, but it really pisses me off. no one plans something this big without me knowing first. How dare he try to pull something like this off without my permission!?"

"What should we do then?" asked Megavolt.

"We lie low" scowled Negaduck, watching as a giant apple tree thromped its way by, ducking just in time from getting hit by one of its swaying branches. He scowled, picking up his hat, which had fallen off. "For now..."

Launchpad struggled to keep hold of Gosalyn, who was currently trying her best to keep away from the small cottonball her father was holding up, trying to place it on one of the many cuts on her forehead.

"Gosalyn!!" moaned Darkwing in annoyance as Gosalyn continued to struggle. They were currently in the Tower, taking a break as they checked over Gosalyn's injuries. They were sitting on the couch. Gosalyn was struggling to get away from the cottonball of antibiotics , as Launchpad triedhis best to hold her down as he stood behind the couch. Darkwing was opposite of Gosalyn, trying his hardest to heal up his daughter.

"You keep that nasty stuff away!" shouted Gosalyn, glaring daggers as the cottonball. "That stuff is nasty!"

Darkwing sighed, finally able to get some on her cut for a brief moment before Gosalyn cried out in pain. "It's not nasty! It's antibiotics and its going to help you heal these cuts!"

"But it STINGS!" wailed Gosalyn. Darkwing kept trying, not wanting to give up. He'd never be able to forgive himself if Gosalyn were to get sick from not cleaning her cuts properly.

"Think of it this way, Gos" piped up Launchpad, trying to help. "This stuff will keep the cuts from bleedin' and gettin' worse. And of they get worse--"

"You're father is going to throw a fit" finished Darkwing. "Please, Gos" he sighed, putting down the cottonball for a moment. "Am I really asking that much from you? Just hold still."

"But da-aaad! It hurts!!" pouted Gosalyn, giving up on struggling. She was getting more and more tired by the minute.

"I know it does, sweetheart, but there's nothing I can do about that. You're just going to have to that tough little girl I know you are and bear through it" soothed Darkwing, seeing that he was finally going to win.

"Gee, DW, she sure is gettin' tired fast" indicated Launchpad, his brow stressed with worry.

"That's good. That means she'll sleep. And sleep is the best cure for healing." whispered Darwking, as he dabbed the last of her cuts. He looked down at his daughter and sighed. They had brought her home and changed her into her pajamas after Launchpad went home to get some. When he returned, Gosalyn had woken up and Darkwing was trying to asses the cuts and bruises she now sported all over her body. It pained Darkwing to see so many bandages on her. From webbed foot to the top of her red head she had either nasty cuts or colorful bruises. He was just thankful she didn't have any broken bones. Though, he wasn't enitrely sure if there wasn't any internal bleeding. Darkwing shook his head, shivering. He didn't want to think about it. He knew he didn't have time to take her to the hospital. It would not be a decent idea anyhow. By the sound of things, Bushroot's plants were attacking the city. Darkwing knew he had to act fast.

"Launchpad, stay with her. Watch over her, please" he knew he sounded desperate and meek, but he didn't care. "Watch over my baby girl." Launchpad nodded solemnly.

"You can count on me, DW" replied the pilot softly, sitting down beside the red head.. Darkwing stood, then bent down and kissed Gosalyn on the head, minding her cuts. She was now in a deep sleep.

As Darwking left, leaving his family behind and pulling down his hat, he muttered darkly, "Let's get dangerous..."

Dandren stood in the middle of the road, near the middle of the city, watching as his fellow plants destroyed the city that belonged to those who shunned and hurt their master. Dandren was truly pleased that their master had finally given them permission to goto war. He had finally said that he 'didn't care'.

However, the large tree would have liked it better had his master been more enthused. Perhaps it was just himself being selfish, but he just had hoped to see his master up and going, ordering his family about, telling them what to do. Enjoying the moment with them.

Instead their master laid passed out on the same branch his master always was. It had not occurred to Dandren until just recently that their master had not slept since the news of war. He hoped that this was just too overwhelming for their master and he was learning how to handle it by sleeping.

_'Master, you must wake up now. The seeds of our fruitfull war is in full bloom. Please wake up.'_

Dandren received no reply. This made Dandren nervous. He knew his master was alive, for h would have been able to feel it otherwise. But Dandren could still 'hear' Bushroot with his telepathy, only his master just wasn't repsonding. It still made him nervous. Was he really in _that _deep of a sleep? Or was Bushroot simply trying to ignore the world altogether now? Dandren decided to try once more, only this time he took one of his smaller branches and gently prodded Bushroot in the side.

This got a reply from Bushroot, who moaned and tried swatting the branch away. dandren saw his chance.

_'Master, please. It is time to get up. You have been sleeping for almost two hours now. You must quickly look! Look at the wonderous work of our family! Look at the destruction we are causing to those who have made you suffer so!' _

Bushroot pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes. He sat up, looking dazedly at his surroundings. His eyes then widended in shock.

The entire city was being attacked by plants! They were everywhere! Plants were climbing up buildings, breaking windows, pushing over cars, chasing pedestrians who were still trying to get home and out of the chaos.

"What have you done!?" gasped Bushroot. He asked this softly, too much in shock to say it any louder.

_'What do you mean, master? Is this not what you have been planning all this time? Revenge?'_

"R-Revenge? On the city? For making me who I am today?" asked Bushroot dizzily, trying to make sense of all that was going around him. He wasn't exactly sure what he was saying anymore, he was so confused.

_'Yes. Revenge for those who made fun of you and forced you tolive in loneliness. Haven't you planned this entire time to kill them, like you did before?'_

"K-Kill? Do I have plans to kill!?" cried Bushroot, blinking and finally come out of his stupor. "NO! Killing was NEVER in any of my plans!" His voice kept getting higher and higher as he began to panic, starting to understand what Dandren's true plans were. He then started to ramble. "I-I mean, yes, I did kill G-Gary and L-Larson, but...I wasn't in my right head at the time. I was furiated with them after they made me what I am today! They had humiliated me in front of--In front of the lovely Rhoda Dendrin. Oooh, that had made me angry, very angry. To the point of insanity, but never again afterwards had I EVER thought about killing again!"

_'That is too bad, master. Because that is what I had assumed your plans were this entire time...'_

"Why do you keep talking about my 'plans'!? When did I ever tell you anything about these 'plans'!?" demanded Bushroot, getting irritated.

_'Over the years...Each and every time you came to, your heart shattered over something those nasty people of the city did to you. Wether it was foiling your plans to make a bride, or to a make friend, to stop Christmas, or simply when you went to the store for supplies and were caught by that nasty purple crime fighter, who just assumed you were up to know good. Don't you remember all the times you came to me and shared with me your thoughts, wishes, and heartaches? That is when you spoke of your plans. Bits and peices of the plan each time you came to me, and now, here it is, in real life, my master.'_

Bushroot's eyes widened. He remembered. Yes. So that is where Dandren was getting all this. From all of those angry, emotional talks they'd have after his plans were foiled or he'd had a problem he couldn't solve.

"Oh, boy..." moaned Bushroot, clutching his head. "I didn't--I just angry at those times. I--I didn't REALLY plan on doing any of that. You know--You really need to learn the difference between seriousness and venting!"

_'So, this entire time, this has not been your plan?'_

"Exactly!" cried Bushroot happily, hoping that Dandren would finally understand and stop all of this nonense.

_'I am sorry, master. I have failed you. I will stop this war, now that I understand that it is not truly what you wished. I did this only because I believed that deep down, this is what you wanted to do.'_

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Dandren. N-Now, let's go home before--"

"I am the terror that flaps in the night" came a familiar voice. A puff of purple smoke appeared just next to Bushroot, making the plant-mutant cough. "I am the bug that eats at your plants. I...am Darkw--ing Duck!"

Bushroot opened his eyes to see none of than Darkwing Duck and he didn't look at all pleased. "There you are Bushy. You went one step too far when you hurt my daughter." He pulled out his gas gun. "You are now going to pay! Suck gas, evil doer!!"

"NO!" shouted Bushroot, stepping back. "I didn't do anything to her!"

"No? So you mean to tell me that kidnapping her and throwing her through a window is NOTHING!?" demanded Darkwing hotly.

"Well-I-I..." Bushroot was at a loss for words. He rubbed with brow, which was damp with sweat. "I'll admit to the kidnapping, but I didn't toss her threw a window! I thought you understood me ealier, Darkwing! I told you before! I'm not doing any of this, my plants are!"

"What is making them do this?" inquired the caped mallard. "THey've never done this before."

"A...A misunderstanding..." sighed Bushroot, hanging his head.

Darkwing stood there a moment, not sure what to do. He looked between Bushroot and the plants that were still destroying the city. Sneering at Bushroot he said, "You know, this does seem a bit strange and uncharacteristic for you, Bushroot. Perhaps you are telling the truth afterall. But that still doesn't mean I'm not upset about what happened about Gosalyn!"

"The little girl? Oh, I'm sorry about that. I really am. She seems so sweet. Is she really your daughter?" asked Bushroot.

Darkwing made a face. "Oh..." his shoulders slumped as he realized he had just said she was his daughter to one of his enemies. "Well, yes..."

"I heard you call you 'dad' just before I kidnapped her" commented Bushroot, feeling that he need to say how he had found out.

Darkwing's eyes widened. "I told her not to call me 'dad' while I'm out fighting crime!"

Bushroot could do nothing but shuffle his feet. "Darkwing, there's just one more problem."

Darkwing eyes him suspciously. "What?"

"Well, see, Negaduck is sort of furious with me and I--I have a feeling he's going to do something about it. What I'm trying to say is, he's up to no good" replied Bushroot, wringing his hands together in worry.

"And this is my concern why?" as soon as the words left his bill, he regreted them, covering his mouth.

A look of hurt was covering Bushroot's features. It was then that Darkwing noticed just how emotional his ememie's eyes could be.

Bushroot on the other hand just sighed. "I always thought you were there for anybody who needed your help Darkwing. Well, here I am! I need your help, and you dare ask me that? And you call yourself a hero?" his words were filled with bitterness as he turned around, crossing his arms.

Darkwing looked away, knowing the mutant duck was right. How could he call himself a hero if he wouldn't help everyone. That was his job, anyways. "You're right, Bushroot. And I will help you. I guess, I'm just not used to helping my enemies." He took out his hand, putting away his gas gun, and shook hands with a surprised Bushroot.

"Thank you, Darkwing. You have no idea how much this means to me..." smiled Bushroot.

Darkwing spun around. "Now, you tell these plants of yours to stop and then we'll go and stop Negaduck from whatever he is up to." He turned around, suddenly looking unsure. "You...will be able to, right?"

Bushroot nodded. "Yes, Dandren should do as I say now."

_'I will stop them now, master. I will explain to them what is going on...Just after we destroy this nasty thorn!!' _

Dandren quickly took one of his large branches and prepared to swing at Darkwing. "NOO!" cried Bushroot. He quickly ran in front of Darkwing, nearly falling off the thick branch, and was struck by the branch instead of Darkwing.

"Bushroot! What's going on!?" demanded Darkwing as he turned around.

_'Master! What are you doing!?' _

"H-Help" wheezed Bushroot as he clung onto Drandren's branch. Darkwing was about to help him when another one of Dandren's branches grabbed the mutant duck and placed him back on the branch.

"What's going on!?" the duck in purple asked again.

Bushroot lay there on his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath from the shock of being hit. "Dandren tried to knock you off and kill you. But--He said he would listen to me..."

"Bushroot, none of this is making sense. One minute you're trying to help me, the next you're trying to kill me and my family! Choose a side already!" pleaded Darkiwng "It's giving me a headache!"

_'I want him out of the picture master! He's trying to brainwash you, just as the girl did! You need to learn that there is no one else out there for you but the plant world and myself!!'_

"You know, Bushroot, if this Dandren is being that big of a hindrance to you, why don't you just get rid of him?" asked Darkwing. He ducked as another one of Dandren's branches tried to hit him. "Um...I don't think he likes that idea..." He looked down to see Bushroot still on the ground, staring at Dandren's branch beneath. "Ummm...Bushroot?"

"That's it..." he whispered. Darkwing dodged another branch. He grabbed Bushroot by the arm and dragged him down to the ground, where Dandren once again, tried to hit him. He managed to hide themselves in a dark alley after running several yards away from the large tree. He glanced at Bushroot, who seemed to be deep in his thoughts, for he kept muttering, "That's it..." A small smile was playing on his beak. "That's it..."

Author's Note: Like? Hate? Well, I'm really working hard here to keep this story alive. I'm so proud of myself and my reveiwers. I managed to get another chapter up. I have all my reveiwers to thank for that! Thank you so much! I highly doubt I would have without you guys! Thanks. I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP.


	8. Chapter 8

Deepening Roots

Chapter 8

Author's Note: Hey, I managed to get another chapter up of Deepening Roots. Whoo! Umm...I would like to take a moment and thank Irual, Pokefan366, Erin T. Aardvark, Vaporshi, acosta perez jose ramiro, and Good Story (anon) for being such great reviewers. You allowed me to stay confident and keep going on with the last two chapters. I am aware that there are others who are reading this who either have reviwed one of my earlier chapters or who are just simply reading it, without giving comment, and I appreciate and thank all of you just the same. Thanks to all of you! Now, on with the story!!

It had once again started to rain as the citizens of St. Canard finally recieved a moment of peace. It appeared that the attacking plants seemed to be slowing down. Frightened St. Canardians fearfully looked out thier windows, whether it was at work, after having been trapped inside, or in their own houses, their small children clinging onto their legs.

The plants were gathering around back towards the middle of the city where Dandren had lost their master. Dandren waited for them to all come, happily looking around towards the damage he and his family had managed. He only wished their master was as pleased as he was.

_'My fellow plants, we have a problem. It would appear that our master is still lost to us. He is still unable to see the great need of this war. Yes, he had agreed to it, and yes, he had allowed us to cause this wonderful damage, but he is still at a loss.'_

_'Master is still lost?'_

_'Master is lost.'_

_'We must help him.'_

_'Yes, find him.'_

_'Save him.'_

_'I am glad you all think so. For that is why I have brought everyone here. We must find our distraught master and bring him back to us. Once we do so we must make sure to take very good care of him as we desperately make him see things our way.'_

_'Distraught? Master is distraught?'_

_'Distraught, yes.'_

_'Poor master.'_

_'Now go, my friends, and find our beloved master!'_ cried Dandren, ordering them around in the absense of his master.

Darkwing grunted as the rain continued to pour down on them, even in the allyway, with no protection. He pulled down his hat, angrily looking about. If he didn't know that the villain's plants had decided to go against him, Darkwing would have placed the cuffs on the green fiend ages ago. But he could tell, just by the way the tree, Dandren, kept trying to him them. Not just himself, but the tree had been trying to hit Bushroot as well.

That was what made Darkwing know that deep down, this was not Bushroot's doing. He glanced over at the green mutant, urging himself not to roll his eyes as he noticed that the duck was still standing there, leaning up against the wall, his eyes fized on the cement, muttering, "That's it!"

"What is it!?" snapped Darkwing, starting to lose his patience. Bushroot looked up, his eyes wide as though he was just now realizing that Darkwing had been there beside him the entire time.

"Oh! I figured out how to stop him!" Bushroot said with glee. His blue eyes shone as he peaked around the corner of the allyway, looking around.

"Care to share it with me?" urged Darkwing, hating it when he didn't know what was going on.

Bushroot opened his beak to do so, but nothing came out. He tried again, "Well--" Darkwing just waited for the duck to say something, his face showing boredum. "I'm going to get rid of Dandren.."

"Get rid of Dandren?" repeated Darkwing, leaning towards Bushroot, making sure he was hearing right. Bushroot shook his head quickly, trying to get rid of the amount of water that was now clinging to his foilage.

"Yes, I mean--ugh! I don't want to, but it appears it's my only option! If I don't, Dandren will just continue to pester me and never give upon this war until--" he dare not think of the extremes Dandren would want to make sure his master wasn't tormented anymore. He sighed heavily. "I knew I should have been a science teacher..."

Darkwing grimaced at that. "Well, now what? We can't just sit here and wait for things to happen. We need to get moving."

Bushroot watched in bewilderment as Darkwing stepped out of the alleyway, following him momentarily.

Back up in the tower, Launchpad had been tinkering with the Ratcatcher shortly after Darkwing left, figuring that with Gosalyn asleep, he may as well get some work done. He didn't find anything wrong with his plan until he heard the soft stirrings of Gosalyn on the couch.

"Gos? You awake?" he called out, coming out from being underneath the Ratcatcher.

"I am...Where's dad?"

"He went out to try and stop those nasty plants, of course."

Gosalyn's eyes widened, her memory suddenly coming back to her. She pushed off the blankets that were on her and rushed over to the now-standing Launchpad. "Launchpad!" she cried, clinging onto Launchpad's pilot outfit. "Bushroot! He's not really bad!"

"Yeah, we know that. DW's not after Bushroot, he's just trying to set things straight. Although, I must say, he did look rather angry when he left. Seeing you the way you look really messed with him" explained Launchpad in the best way he could. He didn't want Gosalyn to get the wrong idea.

Gosalyn scoffed. "I can't look that bad." She went to a mirror. "Keen gear!! I look like I just got beaten up by a zombie! No wonder dad is upset. I'd better go and find him and let him know I'm okay!" Just as she'd said these words, she gave out a great sneeze.

"Oh, no! DW told me to keep you right here where I can keep an eye on you!" Launchpad countered, picking her up and trying to put her back on the couch. Of course, she didn't take this lightly.

"Nonsense! I'm fine--d!" she resisted, knowing she sounded terrible. She didn't want to kick Launchpad, but she would, lightly, if it meant getting free from his grasp.

"Umm...Gos, when you put a _'d' _on the word _"fine"_, you're not _fine_..."

Gosalyn glared at him, knowing she had made that slip. She knew she was getting a cold, or probably already had one, but since when did that keep her from doing what she wanted?

She allowed him to place her on the couch, wrapping the blanket around her. She smiled up at him and he smiled back and just as Launchpad was underneath the Ratcatcher again, she saw her chance and ran towards the nearest exit. Hearing the door shut behind her, Launchpad got up to see her gone, berating himself for letting her get away. "Boy, that girl is a handfull..."

The rain insisted on falling as the night bore on, never allowing a chance of rest. The shadows of Darkwing and Bushroot crept over the walls and sidewalks that they passed as the few lamps posts that hadn't been pummelled to the ground continued to shine.

"So, where exactly are we going now?" asked Darkwing.

"I need to go back to Dandren...I need to...k--you know..." he wasn't even able to say it. It went against his every fiber just thinking about doing what he knew he must.

"So, what exactly was the point of leaving Dandren to begin with!?" seethed Darkwing. He was getting tired of following this walking vegetable, despite if the plant duck was helping him or not.

"I wasn't sure of my plan then. Besides, Dandren was ready to make us into pancakes..."He looked up at Darkwing's face. "Well, you at least..."

Darkwing growled under his breath as they walked past another alleyway.

Bushroot suddenly felt the air in his lungs push out in a gasp as a strong arm wrapped itself around his neck. His leafy hands immediatly started trying to pull it off, but he stopped at the deep manical voice of Negaduck.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this charming. Helping out the weeds are we now, Darkwing?" snickered Negaduck. Megavolt, Liquidator, and QuackerJack jumped out in front of Darkwing, who already had his gas gun out.

"What do you want, Negs!?" demanded Darkwing.

"Nothing that concerns you, Dip Wing. This is between me and Bushy." He gripped Bushroot's neck even tighter. A moment later he screamed as Bushroot bit hard into Negaduck's arm. "Arrrrghh! You freak!" He rubbed at his arm for a moment after letting go and watched as Bushroot ran as fast as he could towards the center of the city.

Bushroot knew where he had to go. He knew Dandren was still at the center of the city. He could tell from his telepathy.

_'Master!'_ cried voices of his children as he ran past them.

_'Master, Dandren is waiting for you!' _

Bushroot ran back to where Dandren stood the entire time during the war. The large tree moved its branches in a welcoming way as it saw its master come to him.

_'Master, you have returned! I am grateful to see it!' _

Bushroot rushed up to Dandren's trunk. He stopped, panting for breath, feeling bliss as he knew he was in the company of Dandren. His eyes then widened as he remembered why he had needed to find Dandren so quickly.

"Dandren! I--" For the second time that night, Bushroot was suddenly at a loss of breath as Negaduck's arm wrapped around his throat. "Ah! Nega--duck...please...I just have to--"

"Shut it, bush breath! I don't want to hear another word from you. In fact" he leaned up towards Bushroot's ear since the mutant duck was taller. "I don't want to know the knowledge that air moves in and out of your lungs with each breath. I want that to stop. NOW!"

Negaduck was about to strangle him to death when a large branch wrapped its way around Negaduck and grabbed him around the waist from behind. "What the--!!" cried the mallard menace.

Bushroot regained his breath in time to see Darwking, Liquidator, Megavolt, and QuackerJack arrive.

"Da--Darkwing Duck!!" cried a voice from the other direction.

Darkwing looked up in shock as he watched his ill daughter run up to him and tackle him in a large hug. Darkwing looked down at her with wide eyes, too much in shock to even reprimand her. She was soaked to the bone, as they all where, but the Drake side of Darkwing could tell that it wasn't all water. Her feathers were covered in a thin layer of sweat as well.

"Gosalyn!!" Darkwing finally managed to cry out.

"Bushroot, I swear to God, if you don't tell this overgrown weed to put me down, I'll make sure you become a compost heap!!" shouted Negauck in pure rage as Dandren held him tightly in the air.

Bushroot was about to react when Dandren took more of his branches and snatched everyone. QuackerJack tried to jump out of the way with one is his backflips, but another branch caught him from behind.

"Doooh! If I wasn't shorted out, I'd be making you into a barbecued twig right about now!" shouted Megavolt angrily.

"Hey hey! Nobody likes an unhelpful hand!" squirmed Liquidator in Dandren's branch. Darkwing was holding on tight to Gosalyn as they were snatched from the ground. Last thing he wanted to do was lose his ill daughter in the rain. Bushroot watched in horror and disbelief as Dandren started taking his long roots and climbing up the side of the large building that had been beside them. The final branch of Dandren snatched him up just as the last root was about to leave the ground.

_'I have had enough of this master. It is time to end it all. And the best place to see it, is a place where all the plant world can see us.' _

As he climbed, Dandren's roots crashed into the glass of the windows, allowing the large tree to have steps. The kidnapped group struggled the entire way up, crying out threats that Dandren paid no attention to. After what seemed like a long time, Dandren finally managed his way to the top of the building. He thromped his way over to the center of the rooftop and placed everyone down on the ground. He dropped Negaduck last, making sure the duck's fall was unpleasant. He knew very well that that duck despised his master.

"Alright, now that the kiddie ride is over" spat Negaduck. "It's time to get serious..." His dangerous eyes were only on Bushroot as he brought out his precious chainsaw. Bushroot eyes widended in fear as he started to back away, minding that soon he would reach the edge.

"Negaduck, stop this!" shouted Darkwing, but it was no use.

"Hey, Darky, the boss is busy! But we'll play with you!" teased QuacerJack. Darkwing turned around just in time to see QuackerJack jump on top of him. The two wrestled for several minutes as Negaduck continued on.

Negaduck turned on his chainsaw, smiling wickedly at the purring sound it made.

Negaduck raised the chainsaw, ready to attack, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. His eyes flaring, he turned around. "CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY!!" As soon as the words were out of his beak, his eyes widened in fear at the sight before him. Dandren took a large branch and smacked Negaduck right across the face, knocking the evil mallard out cold, his chainsaw sputtering to a halt.

Bushroot sighed with relief. He then looked up at Dandren and knew the time had come.

_'Master...please listen. I want you to understand that all I want is for you to be happy.'_

"I am happy." It was a weak come back, seeing as his very being said otherwise.

_'You are not. You tried living the life of a villain, and you did manage to find some friends, but look at them. They ridicule you and use you only for their needs.'_

Bushroot turned away from Dandren, not wanting to hear it.

_'You know I am right, Master...'_

The sound of an engine came and Bushroot looked over and saw that Launchpad had arrived.

"I'm sorry, DW" he heard the large bird saying. "But she got away from me!"

Bushroot looked down at the ground.

_'Did you honestly think that you would be able to change your ways? Villainy has always been your only path. Without your villainy, you will succumb to depression. Turning away from villainy would mean complete and utter loneliness. You can never fit in with the likes of...Darkwing...'_

Bushroot debated what his friend had just said. For the last several years, ever since his mutation, he's been evil. But, over the last few weeks, he's wondered if that is truly what he wanted. He didn't want to be hated, he wanted to be loved. Bushroot looked over to see Darkwing quickly checking over Gosalyn before handing her over to Launchpad.

He would never be able to have that life, it seemed.

"Bushroot!" cried the small, yet spririted voice of Gosalyn.

Bushroot looked over. He couldn't help but ask. "Are you okay?"

Gosalyn struggled out of Launchpad's arms, ignoring her father's cries to come back that instant. She ran over to Bushroot, who looked down at her sweetly. He could tell she was truly fighting to keep herself going. He could see all the bandages that covered her cuts and the bruises she receieved when she had been thrown through the window.

"Yeah, I'm okay" she replied with a grin. "It takes more than a tree and window crash to get ridda me!" Bushroot smiled.

"I'm sorry..." he lamented. Gosalyn blinked.

"Why are you saying sorry? You didn't push me through the window."

"Yes, but--I kidnapped you--"

"Yeah, and you told me the only reason you did was because of Negaduck" she referred to the unconcious duck. "Bushroot, all I'm tyring to say is, I honestly don't think you're a bad person. You're just a person who's had bad stuff happen to you. Like me. I mean, I lost my parents and family and I was an orphan, but here I am. I'm a good person."

Bushroot seemed amazed by her speech as he smiled down at her. He nudged her back towards a displeased Darkwing.

_'Master, please tell me you are not going to listen to that brat. She is trying to brainwash you.'_

"Yes, I am going to..." he whispered.

_'Well, then master. I am afraid I am going to have to knock some sense into you...'_

Bushroot looked up, out over the city, a look of confusion of his face. It was then, out of pure instinct, that he managed to duck just in time before Dandren's large branch hit him.

Panicking and knowing it was now time to act, Bushroot ran over to Launchpad. "Do you have any oil or gasoline on you!?" he demanded. Launchpad gave him a puzzled look before muttering, "Yeah" and getting it out of the Ratcatcher.

He had to hurry, he knew Dandren wanted to have another go at him. He ducked under another branch as he ran over to Megavolt and Liquidator. He pulled a confused Megavolt back over to Launchpad.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" demanded Megavolt as he was pulled along. QuackerJack and Liquidator could do nothing but watch on. They all ducked another branch of Dandren's and as the branch came around, Bushroot grabbed a small twig from the branch.

_'Master! That hurt!' _

Bushroot ignored him. Why should he care? He wasn't the one trying to hurt his master.

Launchpad was now back with a can of gasoline. Bushroot snatched the can of gasoline from him and poured the gasoline over the twig. He then grabbed Megavolt by the arm and looked up at the electrified rodent. "Megs, please, just try one little spark! That's all I need!" he begged at the rodent. "I know you shorted out, but, please I just need one spark!!"

Megavolt regarded his friend with wide eyes. "I dunno if I can!"

"Please! Just try!"

Megavolt snapped his fingers several times, trying to make the smallest of sparks come out from his fingers. Meanwhile, Bushroot made sure the gasoline-covered branch was inches away from his fingers. Suddenly, a small blue spark emmitted from Megavolt's fingers. Bushroot pressed the twig carefully towards it. The spark didn't last long since Megavolt was shorted out, but the spark allowed the twig to catch fire. He quickly ran towards Dandren, making sure the twig didn't get wet or he caught hismelf on fire. The small fire was just enough. With his free hand, Bushroot leaned down and grabbed the can of gasoline he'd dropped there and started squirting as much of it on Dandren as he could. He just hoped that the fire and gasoline would be enough; Dandren was such a large tree.

Once he squirted some on Dandren, he threw the twig up in Dandren's branches, hoping the leaves would start to burn. He just prayed it would work. It didn't help that it was raining.

Dandren shook his branches back and forth, trying to get the quickly growing fire out.

_'Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Master!! Why!? Oh, Master, it hurts! IT BURNS!!'_

Bushroot covered his ears, knowing it was useless. The guilt he felt inside for doing this to Dandren was enough to drown out his soul. He didn't need to hear Dandren's cries of pain. Dandren thromped back and forth, but to no avail. The fire continued to grow with the aide of the gasoline Bushroot had thrown on him. The tree stumbled, thromping further back until at last, he reached the edge. Dandren tried to gain his balance, but the large old tree was too overcome by the laws of gravity and in the late night of pouring rain, fell over the large building, burning to his death.

Bushroot fell to his knees, curling up into a ball on the cement of the roof. He sobbed, not caring who was there to watch him. They heard the enormous thump of Dandren falling onto the ground, his cries still ringing in Bushroot's mind. All of his other plant children were deathly silent. It unnerved him. He sat there and sobbed. "I'm sorry, Dandren..."

Author's Note: This was a tough, sad chapter to write. I've actually had this idea in my head for a while. Even before I started up with this story again. Poor Bushroot...Poor Dandren. But it was the only way for Bushroot to move on...More is coming.


	9. Chapter 9

Deepening Roots

Chapter 9

Auhtor's Note: Okay...This chapter took me forever to figure out. I wanted to make sure I wrapped everything up in this one. This is the final chapter. I really don't know if there will be a sequel or not. Just keep alook out.

Bushroot numbly felt being drug along as Darkwing brought him up to his feet. He stared into space, tears rolling down his cheeks. He didn't know how long he was standing there on the rooftop, moments after he had just murdered, _murdered, _his friend. Five minutes. Five hours. Five days. He didn't know.

Faintly, as though in a distance, he could hear sirens. An ambulence. Fire fighters down below. The rain slowly stopped, until it was naught but a fine mist. He then felt someone hugging him and looked down to see it was Gosalyn. He didn't hug her back, he just stood there limply. "Come on, Bushroot. Now that Negaduck, Megavolt, Quackerjack, and Liquidator got away, we can't do much else here" she said, looking up at him.

_'Negaduck? Oh, yes...Him...Just thinking about him makes me shudder... I higly doubt I've seen the last of them...' _thought Bushroot. He finally looked up to see that Darkwing, Launchpad, and J. Gander Hooter were over near the other side of the roof, a group of policemen pouting over the knowledge of the Fearsome Four getting away.

"Well done, Darkwing. All in another day's work" J. Gander was saying.

"Yep, yep, yep. It's the least I can do when--" He was rudely interupted when Gosalyn elbowed him hard in the side. He had been fully prepared to show off his ego to the newspapers too. He looked down and saw her giving him a hard glare. He deflated. "Um...well, you see, J. Gander...It wasn't entirely me...who stopped all this..."

Hooter gave him a look of puzzlement. "Then who was it?"

Darkwing gestured over to Bushroot, who was still standing there several feet away, his mind still trying to grasp what was going on. J. Gander blinked.

"Dr. Bushroot, member of the Fearsome Five, saved the day?" gathered J. Gander, trying to comprehend what was being said. "he stopped the plants?"

"That's right! And he did a good job at it, too! See! I told you he was good!" cried Gosalyn with a sneeze. That last remark was aimed at her father.

Darkwing gave her a gentle scowl. "That's enough out of you, missy!" He picked her up, which she had no objection to. "You should be in bed!"

Gosalyn eyed her father. "But I had to be here for the action, dad!"

Bushroot sighed as he watched Negaduck be taken away to jail by helicopter. He knew that would be his fate ater all of this. Afterall, tearing up the city with his plants was a good reason to be sent to jail, whether it was his fault or no. He would still be blamed. Who wouldn't blame him?

He looked up, seeing Gosalyn stuggling to keep her eyes open in Darkwing's arms, as the hero spoke with J. Gander Hooter. Gosalyn wouldn't. She won't blame him. A tiny smile came upon his beak at the thought that at least one person would believe it wasn't his fault. But then again, she was just a child, meaning very few would believe her.

"Bushroot" Darkwing called over to him, breaking the plant duck's train of thought. The mallard was gesturing for him to come over.

_"Oh, great. The moment of truth has arrived"_ he thought bitterly. _"As though my day couldn't get any better. I already murdered my friend. What now?"_

He slowly made his way over to where the 'Terror of the Night' and J. Gander Hooter stood, his root-like feet trudging along. He made his way over to Darkwing's side, forcing himself not to cringe.

"I've got to hand it to you, Bushroot, I didn't think it would be you saving the day, but you did" began Darkwing. Bushroot's foilage perked up. "And...you've recently saved Gosalyn from falling off of a roof, and I guess I never...properly thanked you..." Darkwing was staring at the ground at this point. Anyone could tell that it was hard for Darwking to admit all this. Not tomention all the damage it was doing to his ego. "I guess you're not so bad afterall..."

Bushroot beamed at these words. "I-I realy didn't mean for any of this to happen, I guess that things just got out a of control...I really never meant for anyone to get hurt..."

"Bushroot?" came Gosalyn's voice. Bushroot turned to her and saw she was fighting to stay awake. "Are you gonna to go back to being evil?"

Bushroot thought a moment about this question, then promptly shook his head. "I couldn't even if I wanted to...Negaduck would surely kill me the next time we saw each other. And I really don't want to be evil...I just want a friend." He looked up at Darkwing. "Am I asking too much?"

No one spoke for a long moment, then Gosalyn piped up, a little more energy in her voice. "Bushroot, will you be my friend?" Darkwing shifted at this questioned, yet kept his beak shut.

Bushroot's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-You're just saying that..."

"I am not. I really do want to be your friend" argued Gosalyn. "Why would I lieto you?"

"Many reason!" shot back Bushroot as he looked away. This conversation was making him nervous. He wasn't used to any of this.

"If it's a friend you need Bushroot, you really couldn't ask for a better friend than Gosalyn" commented Launchpad.

Darkwing tittered a bit, battling over whether he should speak or not. He eventually decided to. "As for Negaduck--" He paused, looking away as well. It made him look bad, in his opinion. He didn't want to look like a sissy hero, but he knew he had to. He cleared his throat. "As for Negaduck, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you. Seeing as--Seeing as you're not a villain anymore...you are now a normal..."he mumbled something to himself too softly to be heard. "Yes, normal citizen now, it is my job to protect you, as I do everyone else from Negaduck and other convicts."

Bushroot wringed his hands together. "You mean it?"

"Yes."

"We can be friends now, Bushroot. You won't have to turn to crime and evil anymore. You can be with us. You can fight back against Negaduck, with our help!" encouraged Gosalyn.

Darkwing gave out a nervous laugh. "Gosalyn, let's not rush on this!"

There was silence for a while. J. Gander Hooter was still standing nearby, knowing Darkwing would make the right decision.

"I would love to be your friend, Gosalyn" Bushroot said at last, a smile on his beak as he looked down at the cement. Gosalyn beamed at his reply, then winced as she rubbed one of the arms on her cuts. She couldn't help but let out a small "Ouch."

Darkwing responded in a heartbeat. "Now there, missy, you're going straight home!"

"But what about Bushroot!?" demanded the little red head.

Darkwing grimaced. "Well--" He looked up at the plant mutant. "I suppose...He could come back to the tower with us..." Bushroot nodded. "But you'll have to be blind folded. Just out of caution. No offense" Darkwing added quickly.

"Fair enough" shrugged Bushroot. "But...I won't be able to come right away...I need to clean up the mess that I started, afterall..." He looked down at all the confused plants, wondering what they were supposed to do next. Bushroot could hear most of the crying in agony at the loss of Dandren. He knew the death of Dandren would not be something to easily get over. He sighed, knowing he would have to go back to his children and explain to them what took place. He just prayed they would be able to understand. "I'm...going to go back to my Greenhouse. I'll take all my plants back...if I can. These days I don't even know if they'll do as I ask them to...And after what happened to Dandren, I really don't know..."

"Fine" said Darkwing, holding onto Gosalyn tighter. "If you want, we'll come for oyu later, at your place..."

"I can cook some burgers later!!" thrilled Lauchpad. Darkwing just shook his head as Bushroot left.

Sorrow. Sorrow was what Bushroot felt as he made his way down to be with his plants. It seemed like even the air itself was filled with remorse. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. He was now down where the burning ashes of Dandren lay, still smoking after the fire fighters had hosed him down.

Taking his leaf hand, Bushroot gently caressed what was once Dandren's large trunk. All the leaves were gone, most of the branches smoldered, roots destroyed. All that was left was the large section of Dandren's trunk, which was fully burnt to the core.

Tears spilt down his cheeks as he remembered all the times he'd gone to Dandren after having a bad day, telling him anything he wanted.

_'Poor Master'_

_'Poor Dandren. Such a terrible fate.'_

His plants were slowly making there way to where their master stood, crying for the great Dandren who had meant so much to them. Dandren had been an idol to the plants, seeing as how he had been so close with their master.

Bushroot was soon surrounded by his children, feeling the slightest bit of happiness that they had not turned on him after what had happened.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen..." whispered Bushroot, his voice filled with pain. He supposed he was talking to Dandren as he continued to touch the smoldered peices of bark. He knew the tree was gone forever, but a part of him still felt as though he needed to explain himself. "You were so great to me...I couldn't have asked for anyone better...You always listened to me like no one else had...Well, until the very end. Things got confusing there and we were both unsure of what the other wanted. But that's alright now. I forgive you...I suppose this whole time you were just trying to make me happy, as you've always said you were doing. I guess I should've kept my beak shut, for none of this would have happened if I did. It's my fault this happened to you..."

A small maple tree sapling that was about Bushroot's height came up from behind Bushroot and took one of its branches and gently tickling his cheek with its leaves. Bushroot smiled, turning to all the plants around him.

"Let's go home..." he said at last, rubbing his cheeks, which were still covered with tears.

_'Yes, master. Home.'_

_'Yes, we will go home now.'_

_'The war is over.'_

_'We didn't win...'_

Bushroot blinked at that last comment. He stopped, looking up and around at his plants. Worry, pain, and panic covered his face and could be heard in his voice as he spoke. "No...No, we did win..."

_'We won?'_

_'How? Dandren is gone...'_

_'You are still unhappy.'_

"No...I am very happy. Thanks to this war, I now have a friend. Her name is Gosalyn. She wishes to be a great friend of mine, which means she's willing to be friends with all of you. You'll see, things are going to change." There was a pause. "I mean, yes, I am unhappy. Unhappy that Dandren was killed, but there is nothing that can be done about it. Dandren would have been proud knowing that I am now happy...You see?"

_'You make sense, master.'_

_'Yes, we understand.'_

_'We will be friends with this Gosalyn too.'_

Bushroot smiled at this, wiping away the last of his tears. "Good, now let's go home." He raised his arms and on command all the plants started making there way back to the Greenhouse. As they went, it made Bushroot shudder as he looked to see all the damage his plants had made. Thankfully he didn't seem to be blamed for the damage. Yet. Bushroot groaned. Darkwing may not blame him, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world won't. Bushroot sighed and gave a lopsided smile. "It certainly is hard being the only mutant plant duck..."

The evening sunset fell down on the city with not a cloud in the sky the next day. The day before had been spent cleaning up the remains of the plant war. As Bushroot had predicted, he had been blamed for the damage, but it did not bother the mutant duck as long as Darkwing did not blame him.

"Come on, dad!" cried Gosalyn.

"I said 'no', Gosalyn!!" came Darkwing's angry reply on the other side of the room.

Bushroot looked over from looking out the large window of the tower and smiled. On the other side of the room sat a very angry Gosalyn. She was not getting her way since her father wouldn't let her do much dueto her cuts, which were practicially healed.

"Don't worry, Gosalyn" said Bushroot as he walked over and took off one of her bandages. "You're healing really fast and that aloe plant I gave you seems to be helping your skin and feathers a lot." Gosalyn wasn't able to keep her angry face for very long once Bushroot started talking.

She crossed her arms with a gentle scowl aiming for Darkwing on the other side of the room. "Yeah, I fell fine, but my dad doesn't think so..."

"I'd take you to me Greenhouse, but it can get kind of crazy in there due to my plants and experiments...And I'm not sure Darkwing would like that." suggested Bushroot sadly.

Gosalyn scoffed. "Wouldn't keep me form being your friend, if that's what you're getting at." she replied back. She already knew Bushroot was the type to pity himself. Not that she minded.

Bushroot turned around and sighed. He could see Darkwing talking with Launchpad about something over near the Ratcatcher. He then turned back to Gosalyn, soaking up the new part of his life.

"I don't really care what my dad thinks...I'm going to see your plants. I saw them the last time I was there...Before that physco tree threw me through a window..." Her last comment was a bit sour.

Bushroot winced. "Sorry about that. I promise, my plants won't do that you the next time." Gosalyn just beamed at this.

Gosalyn kept close to her promise and was friends with Bushroot. She seemed fascinated by all his plants. Darkwing was still rather unsure of the whole ordeal, yet he allowed the plant duck inside his hideout, blind folded, of course. Bushroot couldn't blame him. Launchpad was as friendly as ever near him. Actually, he was always friendly, period. He missed Dandren greatly, but it had been the only choice. If he wanted to make a new life and have friends, there were simply some things he had to change and get ird of. And sadly, Dandren had been one of those changes.

He walked back over to the window where he had placed a small pot. Inside was a small little sapling with one leaf. Bushroot knew that everyone deserved a second chance.

Author's Note: In case that wasn't good enough for you, I'll tell you that Gosalyn is FINE! Nothing else bad happens to her. Yes, she sneezes, but it means nothing. Her cuts heal up and everything. She just needed more rest.

I am planning a continuation of this fic, however, it'll be mainly based on Megavolt and Quackerjack. What I mean is, Bushroot will be reformed in the story, for this story takes place after Deepening Roots. Later.


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